Turkey's military says 13 soldiers have died in a helicopter crash near the border with Iraq.

A military statement said the AS532 Cougar helicopter crashed on Wednesday shortly after taking off from a base in the region of Senoba in Sirnak province.

"As a result of the painful accident, our hero comrades in the helicopter fell as martyrs," the statement said.

It said initial information indicated that the helicopter hit a high-voltage transmission line.

The governor's office for the province of Sirnak said the helicopter crashed near the town of Uludere, three minutes after taking off.

The helicopter crashed at 8:55pm (17:55 GMT), the military said, adding that an investigation was under way.

Turkey's chief of staff, General Hulusi Akar, travelled to the region to carry out an inspection, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.



Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, Defence Minister Fikri Isik and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu were also travelling to the region, it added.



President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly been briefed about the accident after chairing the country's top National Security Council meeting in Ankara

The crash occurred as Turkish troops are engaged in operations against Kurdish fighters in a mountainous region of Sirnak province.

In March, seven people, including four Russians, were killed when a privately owned helicopter crashed in Istanbul after hitting a television tower.</s>Istanbul: Thirteen soldiers were killed on Thursday when a helicopter crashed in southeast Turkey after hitting a high-voltage power line, the army said.

The Cougar helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from a base in Sirnak province bordering Iraq, killing all 13 onboard, it said in a statement.

"Our hero comrades in the helicopter fell as martrys,"the army said.

Initial findings showed it was an accident, said the army, adding that an investigation was underway.

Turkey's chief of staff, general Hulusi Akar, travelled to the region to carry out an inspection, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

In a separate statement, the local governor's office said rescue teams had been dispatched to the scene.

In March, seven people, including four Russians, were killed when a privately-owned helicopter crashed in Istanbul after hitting a television tower.</s>Thirteen soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash near Turkey's border with Iraq, Turkish military confirmed.

It crashed after hitting a high-voltage transmission line, officials said.

The governor's office for the province of Sirnak said the Cougar-type helicopter crashed near the town of Uludere on Thursday, three minutes after taking off.

Turkish media reports said the helicopter was carrying about a dozen officers and soldiers.

The crash occurred as Turkish troops are engaged in operations against Kurdish militants in a mountainous region of Sirnak province.</s>Thirteen Turkish troops have died in a helicopter crash in the country’s southeastern Sirnak province.

The Cougar military chopper went down on Wednesday after hitting an electrical power line close to the border with Iraq, killing all on board.

“Our hero comrades in the helicopter fell as martrys,” said a statement released by the Turkish army.

It added that initial investigations show that the crash was due to pilot error.

In March, a helicopter with seven passengers on board crashed in the Turkish city of Istanbul, killing all aboard.

The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, which is owned by Turkish conglomerate Eczacibasi, came down shortly after takeoff from Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.</s>Thirteen soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash near Turkey's border with Iraq, the Turkish army has confirmed.

The Cougar military helicopter is reported to have gone down after getting caught in a high voltage power line in the south-eastern province of Sirnak, security sources said.

The AS532 chopper crashed just three minutes after taking off from a base in the Senoba region, a military statement said.

It continued: 'As a result of the painful accident, our hero comrades in the helicopter fell as martrys.'

The helicopter is believed to have been carrying around a dozen officers and soldiers.

Initial findings showed it was an accident, said the army, adding that an investigation is underway.

Turkey's chief of staff, General Hulusi Akar, travelled to the region to carry out an inspection, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

In March, seven people, including four Russians, were killed when a privately-owned helicopter crashed in Istanbul after hitting a television tower.

Turkish troops are engaged in operations against Kurdish militants in the mountainous Sirnak province.</s>A military helicopter crashed in the southeastern province of Şırnak late on May 31, the Governor's Office has stated, Hurriyet reported.

“The Cougar-type helicopter became tangled to a high-tension line three minutes after taking off from the Şenoba town of the Uludere district and crashed,” the Şırnak Goveror’s Office said in a statement.

There are no details about killed and wounded</s>01:02 (GMT+4) Thirteen people were martyred Wednesday in the crash of a Cougar type military helicopter in the southern Turkish province of Sirnak, said the Turkish General Staff, Anadolu reported.

The helicopter crashed after hitting a high-voltage power line three minutes after taking off, the province governor’s office said in a statement late Wednesday.

All 13 military personnel aboard perished in the crash, said the Turkish General Staff.

00:07 (GMT+4) A military helicopter crashed in the southeastern province of Şırnak late on May 31, the Governor's Office has stated, Hurriyet reported.

“The Cougar-type helicopter became tangled to a high-tension line three minutes after taking off from the Şenoba town of the Uludere district and crashed,” the Şırnak Goveror’s Office said in a statement.

There are no details about killed and wounded</s>Thirteen people were martyred Wednesday in a crash of a Cougar-type military helicopter in the southern province of Sirnak, according to the Turkish General Staff.The crash occurred after hitting a high-voltage power line three minutes after take off, the province governor’s office said in a statement.All 13 military personnel aboard perished in the crash, said the Turkish General Staff.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was informed about the accident and conveyed his condolence to Turkish Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar, who went to scene, according to presidential sources.Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and his wife visited the family of Maj. Gen. Aydogan Aydin who was martyred in the crash. "May Allah rest their souls of our heroes who were martyred in this painful event that grieved us deeply,” he said in a statement.Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also arrived in Sirnak to examine the scene.The leaders expressed their sympathies via their social media accounts.“The sorrow of our hero martyred in the helicopter crashed have torn my heart out. May God rest their souls,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote on his Twitter account.Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus also took to the social media platform to offer his condolences to families of the martyrs. “May God rest their soul in peace,” he wrote.Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu conveyed his condolences “to all Turkey,” by way of his Twitter account.</s>ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey's military says 13 soldiers have died in a helicopter crash the border with Iraq.

A military statement said the AS532 Cougar helicopter crashed Wednesday shortly after taking off from a base in the region of Senoba in Sirnak province.

It said initial information indicated that the helicopter hit a high-voltage transmission line.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Turkish officials say a military helicopter has crashed near Turkey's border with Iraq after hitting a high-voltage transmission line. There was no immediate word on any casualties.

The governor's office for the province of Sirnak said the Cougar type helicopter crashed near the town of Uludere on Wednesday, three minutes after taking off.

Turkish media reports said the helicopter was carrying about a dozen officers and soldiers.

The crash occurred as Turkish troops are engaged in operations against Kurdish militants in a mountainous region of Sirnak province.

This story has corrected the day of the crash to Wednesday, not Thursday.
A Turkish Air Force Eurocopter AS532 Cougar helicopter crashes in Şırnak Province after hitting an electricity line, killing all 13 soldiers on board.