Military copter crash kills 5 soldiers, injures 7 in Hakkari

The S-70 Sikorsky helicopter crashed after it appeared to lose power during a landing in a remote, mountainous area of Hakkari's Dağlıca district, the General Staff revealed in a statement on its official website soon after the crash occurred.

The helicopter was carrying soldiers to a site in Hakkari's Yüksekova district where military operations are being conducted against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization. The wounded soldiers were taken to hospitals in Van province following their initial treatment at Hakkari Military Hospital.

Although the General Staff has said the crash was due to a technical failure, the online release stated that an investigation is under way to determine the exact cause of the crash.

Funerals for some of the killed soldiers were held in their hometowns on Monday. A funeral was held in Samsun's Havza district for Infantry Specialist Sgt. Muharrem Saygun, who is reportedly the father of two daughters, a 9-month-old and a 3-year-old.

A funeral for Infantry Spc. Sgt. Regaip Şahin is scheduled for today in Sakarya province, followed by a burial at the Serdivan Martyrdom Cemetery. Funerals will also take place for Infantry Spc. Sgt. Muhammet Şahin in Manisa's Sarıgöl district with a burial at a cemetery in Yeşiltepe village, and for Sgt. Ahmet Çağlar in Ankara's Keçiören district and Lt. Nuri Akman in Samsun's Vezirköprü district.

It has been a violent few days for the Turkish military. Another Turkish soldier died after a hand grenade exploded in his hand in the Yüksekova district of Hakkari at around 10 p.m. on Sunday.

The incident occurred in the Yeşiltaş military outpost in the Dağlıca area. A total of eight other soldiers were injured in the explosion. The injured were transferred to a state hospital in Van province by military ambulance helicopters.

Early Monday, three soldiers were also injured when a military vehicle went off the road and rolled several times during a patrol near Ankara's Beypazarı district. The injured troops were taken to the Gülhane Military Academy of Medicine (GATA) for treatment. The soldiers did not sustain life-threatening injuries.

Meanwhile, the PKK is also being accused of setting fire to a truck, which was carrying food supplies to a military outpost in the eastern province of Tunceli, late on Sunday. According to information from Tunceli Governor's Office, the PKK militants stopped a civilian vehicle carrying food supplies to the Ataçınar gendarme outpost in the Malazgirt district of Tunceli and burned the vehicle on Sunday night. The driver of the vehicle was reportedly released. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) launched a military operation in the area to capture the terrorists.

In a similar incident, PKK terrorists opened fire, using long-barelled shotguns, on a civilian vehicle, which was carrying food supplies to Yeniyazı gendarme outpost in Bingöl's Genç district on Sunday night. The two people in the vehicle were able to escape due to the late- night darkness. The PKK terrorists reportedly set the vehicle on fire after the two men escaped.

Turkish troops have been fighting the PKK in southeastern Turkey for several decades. Clashes have taken place in Hakkari in the past between the Turkish armed forces and the terrorist PKK. More than 40,000 people have died in the conflict since the PKK took up arms against the state in 1984.