Four soldiers were killed and another was wounded after a military helicopter crashed in a residential area in Istanbul's Sancaktepe district on Monday.The Bell UH-1 helicopter crashed onto a street between apartments in the Asian district of Sancaktepe, where a military base is situated, after colliding with the roof a building.Images of the wreckage in an empty yard between buildings showed that a potential disaster was diverted thanks to the heroics of the pilots."A military helicopter crashed in Samandıra district while performing a training flight. Four soldiers were killed and another was injured," Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said.Yerlikaya arrived on the scene of the crash along with National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.Akar told reporters that the flight took off at 10:32 a.m. from the base but lost contact with the base around 11:02 a.m."The crash happened at that time and we have four martyrs. We have a sergeant who is in intensive care unit now," Akar said while examining the scene of the crash.He said pilots sought an emergency landing for a yet unknown reason."Obviously, these heroic officers exerted great effort to make the landing without hurting anyone on the ground," Akar said, adding that helicopter was trying to reach the helipad at the base when it crashed.President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered his condolences for the deceased soldiers and wished the injured a speedy recovery during a speech at a symposium.Eyewitnesses said that. A neighborhood resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, told reporters that the helicopter crashed "very close" to an apartment building and would have "certainly killed a lot of people if it hit."Another witness said his house near the crash site "shook" when the helicopter crashed.A businessman was killed and his pilot was injured when a Bell-430 helicopter crashed off Maltepe coast of Istanbul on Sept. 6 in the latest accident before this. The deadliest crash was in 2017 when a Sikorsky helicopter carrying business executives hit a TV tower in the city's Büyükçekmece district in March 2017, killing all seven people aboard.Four UH-1 helicopters have crashed in Turkey between 2002 and 2011. Ten officers were killed in total in two UH-1 crashes in the northern province of Erzincan in 2006 and in capital Ankara in 2011.UH-1 helicopters, whose production ended in 1976, are widely used by armies around the world and they are mainly employed for training, rescue and transportation purposes. </s> ISTANBUL (AP) - Four Turkish soldiers died while another was fighting for life after their helicopter crashed Monday into a residential area of Istanbul.

Even though the helicopter struck a four-storey building before crashing, there were no civilian casualties, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

The UH-1 helicopter, which was on a training flight, ended up on a street in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood - on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents - while trying to make an emergency landing, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters at the scene of the crash.

The helicopter appeared to have turned over and debris from the crash scattered around the street, according to video footage from the scene.

Akar said the pilot appeared to be trying to land the helicopter, which was on its way to the air force base of Samandira, near Sancaktepe, on an empty plot of land in order to prevent civilian deaths.

"They tried to make an emergency landing for a reason that we do not know yet," the minister said. "(The helicopter) was very close to the air base, but unfortunately could not make it back."

Firefighters and security members work after a military helicopter with five soldiers on board crashed in an Istanbul neighborhood on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, killing four of them, officials said. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training flight, hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

The dead servicemen included two officers and two non-commissioned officers, Akar told reporters. The injured serviceman, a sergeant, was in serious condition and facing an operation.

An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched, he said.

Firefighters and security members work at the site after a military helicopter with five soldiers on board crashed in an Istanbul neighborhood on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, killing four of them, officials said. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training flight, hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents.(DHA via AP)

Emergency services attend the scene after a military helicopter with five soldiers on board crashed in an Istanbul neighborhood on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, killing four of them, officials said. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training flight, hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) </s> Four soldiers have been killed and a fifth wounded after a Turkish military helicopter crash-landed in Istanbul on Monday morning.

The Bell UH-1 helicopter crashed in the city's suburban Sancaktepe district at around 11am after it hit the roof of a building and fell to earth between two apartment blocks.

It was said to have taken off on a routine training flight from Istanbul's Samandira military air base at 10.32am Monday and was due to be returning to the same heliport later on, but never made it back.

Turkey's Anadolu news agency said the helicopter hit the roof of a building and then crashed before splitting into two.

Government sources confirmed the military helicopter had crashed and pictures emerging from the scene showed the wreckage of the stricken chopper lying in several pieces on the suburban street.

Several roads surrounding the crash site were cordoned off by authorities in the immediate aftermath as emergency services frantically searched for anyone else hurt in the tragedy.

The Governor of Istanbul Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the deaths of several soldiers later on Monday morning.

'During a military training flight from Samandira air base a helicopter crashed due to unknown reasons with four dead and one wounded,' Yerlikaya said.

'Treatment for the wounded and an inspection into the cause of the incident has been started. Efforts at the crash site are underway,' Yerlikaya said.

The cause of the incident was not immediately clear but no-one else was said to have been hurt in the crash. </s> ISTANBUL — A military helicopter with five soldiers on board crashed in an Istanbul neighbourhood on Monday, killing four of them, officials said. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training flight, hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul’s Sancaktepe neighbourhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents.

No one else was hurt in the incident, according to a statement from the Istanbul governor’s office.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

The helicopter was returning to Samandira air base, near Sancaktepe, and may have tried to land on an empty plot of land in the neighbourhood after experiencing a technical fault, private NTV television reported.

The helicopter appeared to have turned over and its debris was scattered around the street, video footage from the scene showed. </s> Four Turkish soldiers were killed and another was wounded after a military helicopter crashed in a central district of Istanbul.

The helicopter crashed in the middle of a residential area in the Sancaktepe district of Istanbul, on the Asian side of the city.

The reason for the crash is still being investigated. The aircraft was carrying out training flights at the Samandira air base in Istanbul, according to state-owned Anadolu news agency. </s> ISTANBUL (AP) — Officials say a military helicopter with five soldiers on board has crashed in an Istanbul neighborhood, killing four of them. The fifth soldier was rushed to a hospital with injuries.

Anadolu Agency said the helicopter, which was on a training mission, on Monday hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents.

No one else was hurt in the incident.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. </s> A military helicopter crashed in a residential area in Istanbul in Turkey on Monday, killing four soldiers and injuring one. The helicopter crashed on a street between apartments in Sancaktepe district, where a military base is situated, Daily Sabah reported.

“A military helicopter crashed in Samandıra [Air Base] while performing a training flight,” Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said. “Four soldiers were killed and another was injured.”

Rescue and relief teams were rushed to the spot following the accident. The cause of the crash is not yet known, the Anadolu Agency reported. Local residents were not hurt in the incident.

The Yeni Akit newspaper said that Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar is on his way to the crash site. </s> Four Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded on Monday when a military helicopter crashed in a residential area in Istanbul during a training exercise, officials said.

The helicopter went down in the Sancaktepe district of Istanbul, on the eastern edge of the city’s Asian side, in an area of apartment buildings. It had been carrying out a training exercise at the nearby Samandira air base, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya told the state-owned Anadolu news agency.

The cause of the crash had not yet been determined, he said. Rescue workers sorted through the debris where the helicopter lay on its side on the street. A large chunk of the tail rested on the other side of the road.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who visited the scene, said an investigation was underway. Four soldiers were killed and one was in intensive care, he said.

There were no reports of civilian casualties.

“These heroic aviation personnel of ours made an effort to make an emergency landing for reasons we do not yet know,” Akar told reporters at the scene. “It is understood that they made a great effort to do this without hurting anyone.”

The helicopter hit the roof of a four-storey apartment building as it attempted an emergency landing, Yerlikaya was quoted as saying by broadcaster NTV.

No tags for this post. </s> Turkish officials say a military helicopter has crashed in a residential neighborhood in Istanbul, killing four of the five soldiers on board. Authorities say the remaining soldier was taken to a hospital.

Anadolu, the state news agency, says the helicopter was on a training flight Monday when it hit the roof of a building and crashed in between apartment blocks in Istanbul's Sancaktepe neighborhood, on the Asian side of the city.

Governor Ali Yerlikaya told Anadolu that "an inspection into the cause of the incident has been started."
A UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter crashes during a training flight in the Sancaktepe district of Istanbul, Turkey, killing four soldiers and leaving one wounded.