Seven killed in Istanbul helicopter crash

A helicopter carrying high-level business executives crashed in Turkey's biggest city on Friday. Seven people were on board, including four Russians.

Firefighters and rescue services at the helicopter crash scene in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 10, 2017.
TRT World and Agencies

Firefighters and rescue services at the helicopter crash scene in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 10, 2017.

A helicopter carrying high-level business executives crashed onto a Turkish highway on Friday around 11:30 local time (0830GMT) after hitting a television tower in an outlying district of Istanbul, local media reported.

The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter belonged to Eczacibasi pharmaceuticals and household products group according to aviation licencing company Kugu Havacilik.

The helicopter took off from Istanbul's main Ataturk airport with seven people on board: an Eczacibasi company executive, four Russians, and two Turkish pilots.

Hasan Akgun, the mayor of Istanbul's Buyukcekmece district, confirmed to the local media that all on board were killed.

Buyukcekmece is on the northwestern side of Turkey's biggest city in a mixed industrial and residential neighbourhood.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the crash.

Route 6