Four UAE soldiers dead after helicopter crashes in Yemen due to technical fault

An Emirati Chinook military helicopter lands at a military base near Saffer, Yemen, Monday, Sept. 14, 2015. (Illustrative photo: AP)

The General Command of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s Armed Forces confirmed that four of its soldiers died on Friday after their helicopter was hit by a technical fault, causing an emergency landing and hitting the ground.

“The Armed Forces confirm the martyrdom of four of its brave soldiers, namely Captain Ahmad Khalifa Al Balushi, Lieutenant / 1 Pilot Jassem Saleh Al Zaabi, and the Undersecretary. Muhammad Sa’id al-Hassani and Samir Muhammad Murad Abu Bakr,” a statement on UAE’s WAM news agency read.

The four soldiers were killed while carrying out their normal duties in Shabwa governorate in Yemen when their helicopter was hit by a technical fault, causing an emergency landing which resulted in a crash.

Spokesperson for the coalition fighting to restore legitimacy in Yemen, Turki al-Maliki, has earlier confirmed that an alliance combat helicopters suffered a technical defect while returning from am inland mission inside Yemeni territories.

Source:english.alarabiya.net