A chartered helicopter owned by Mari Petroleum Firm Restricted (MPCL) crashed in North Waziristan on Saturday, leading to six fatalities and injuring 10 others on board.
Sources point out that the Mi-Eight helicopter crashed close to an oilfield within the Shewa tehsil shortly after takeoff.
Experiences recommend that the pilots tried to land the helicopter safely; nevertheless, the tail rotor hit the bottom, inflicting the crash, Daybreak reported. The helicopter was carrying a complete of 21 individuals, together with two overseas pilots. Preliminary investigations have confirmed that the crash was on account of a technical fault, with no indications of sabotage detected.
Mari Petroleum operates within the Waziristan Block, beforehand generally known as Bannu West, situated within the North Waziristan district. In June 2022, the corporate made a notable gasoline and condensate discovery on the Shewa-1 exploratory effectively, marking the biggest hydrocarbon discover within the nation previously 12 years.
The corporate lately celebrated one other achievement on the Shewa-2 appraisal-cum-exploratory effectively, which commenced on June 12, 2023, reported Daybreak. The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) launched a press release indicating that the Mi-8MTV-1 helicopter (registration mark: RA-24537 MSN 97518) took off from Islamabad at 11:15 AM for Shewa, later departing for Bannu at 1:15 PM after passenger change.
Nevertheless, on account of engine failure, the helicopter was compelled to make an emergency touchdown at Shewa. In the course of the touchdown, the tail rotor struck the bottom, inflicting the helicopter to overturn. There have been 21 people on board, comprising six crew members, a security officer, and 14 passengers. Search and rescue operations, assisted by a navy helicopter, have been launched from Peshawar to evacuate the injured. Experiences point out that the injured have been airlifted to CMH.
The helicopter, leased from Russia’s PANH Helicopters, was engaged in supporting Mari Petroleum’s operations in distant areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. It was working beneath a moist lease settlement facilitated by Princely Jets, with the PCAA granting permission for six months, Daybreak reported.
This lease was set to run out on September 28, 2024, the identical day because the crash. The Bureau of Security Investigation will perform a complete inquiry into the incident.
