admin Pakistani soldiers offered funeral prayers on Thursday over the coffins of security personnel killed in a helicopter crash that left no survivors in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Earlier, rescuers recovered the remains of all 22 soldiers aboard a military helicopter that crashed in Muzaffarabad, the previous day, officials said on Thursday, confirming there were no survivors.
Soldiers in military fatigues joined dozens of local residents at the ceremony in the city of Muzaffarabad, where around 20 coffins were draped in Pakistani flags, according to an AFP journalist.
Soldiers place the national flags over the caskets of military personnel, killed in the Wednesday’s helicopter crash, during a funeral prayer in Muzaffarabad. AP
The army helicopter crashed near Muzaffarabad on Wednesday due to a technical fault, the military said.
“The people of Kashmir salute all these brave martyrs and honour their courage, dedication and unwavering commitment to the nation,” said Shahid Wani, a 53-year-old Muzaffarabad resident.
Following the ceremony, the coffins were loaded onto ambulances to transport the victims’ remains for burial in their hometowns.
An Associated Press reporter counted 22 coffins draped in Pakistan’s national flag at a funeral ceremony.
Witnesses and regional officials said the remains of the soldiers were recovered from the badly burned wreckage.
The dead included a colonel and two army majors, according to two security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.
Among those attending the funerals was regional Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore.
Military officers and civilians attend the funeral prayers of military personnel, killed in Wednesday’s helicopter crash, during a funeral prayer. AP
According to the officials, the soldiers had been travelling to carry out security duties after a call for a march on Muzaffarabad by the Joint Awami Action Committee, a recently banned alliance of various groups.
Authorities have not indicated any connection between the planned protest and the crash.
Pakistan has deployed additional security forces across the region, where tensions have been high since the weekend after members of an outlawed group attacked police and security personnel, killing four officers.
The Pakistani military and government consider the region highly sensitive after years of frequent skirmishes and full-blown wars with India.
There has been a heavy security presence in recent days in Muzaffarabad after members of a protest movement banned by the local government under anti-terror laws said they would hold demonstrations.
Agencies
