Iran: Military Helicopter Crash Claims 4 Lives

SadaNews - An Iranian army helicopter crashed after falling onto a market in the Isfahan province in central Iran, killing the pilot, his assistant, and two others, as reported by official media on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in the town of Dorjeh, about 330 kilometers (205 miles) south of Iran's capital, Tehran, according to the official Iranian television.

Isfahan has a major Iranian air base, along with a nuclear site that was targeted by the U.S. during the Iranian-Israeli war last June.

The Iranian news agency "Mehr" added that the crash caused a fire which emergency teams were able to extinguish.

Rescue teams rushed to the crash site to put out the fire that broke out after the helicopter fell in the city of Dorjeh in Isfahan province.

The official Iranian television explained that the military helicopter was on a training flight. It added that the pilot and his assistant died in the incident, showing footage of the wreckage and smoke rising from the market.

The semi-official "Fars" news agency reported that two people on the ground in the market were killed in the incident.

This incident comes a week after a U.S.-made F-4 fighter jet belonging to the Iranian air force crashed in Hamadan province in the west of the country, resulting in the death of the pilot during a training flight.

The aircraft crashed while conducting a night training mission in Hamadan province. The public relations office of the Iranian air force announced in a statement reported by the official "IRNA" agency, "An air force plane crashed while conducting a night training mission in Hamadan (west)."

Experts say that Iran has a poor safety record in aviation, with repeated crash incidents. Many of the accidents involve planes purchased before the 1979 revolution, which do not have original spare parts available for maintenance.

Iran has a history of deadly crashes, as Western sanctions have led to a disruption in aircraft spare parts supplies in Iran, which relies on a fleet of old helicopters and planes.