ANKARA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Three Turkish personnel were killed when a military helicopter crashed into Qatari territorial waters on Saturday, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
The crash occurred during training exercises under the Qatar-Türkiye Combined Joint Force Command, part of ongoing military cooperation between the two countries, the ministry said.
Initial findings indicate the Qatari Armed Forces helicopter went down due to a technical malfunction, the ministry added. One Turkish Armed Forces member and two technicians from Türkiye's state-owned defense company Aselsan were killed.
Search and rescue teams recovered the wreckage and the bodies of the three personnel, it said. The cause of the accident "will be determined following an investigation by Qatari authorities."
Earlier, Qatar's Interior Ministry reported that six of the seven people on board had been found dead, with efforts continuing to locate the remaining individual. ■
