Six killed in Pakistan army helicopter crash

A Pakistani army helicopter crashed during an overnight mission in the country's southwest, killing all six military personnel who were on board, including both pilots, the military said Monday.

The crash took place in the district of Hernai, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. It was not immediately clear what mission the helicopter was on, and the army provided no further details. Local authorities said an investigation was underway.

The latest incident comes weeks after a helicopter carrying a regional commander and five other soldiers crashed in Balochistan during a flood-related operation because of a technical fault, killing everyone on board.

Since mid-June, when unprecedented heavy rains and flooding gripped Pakistan, the military has been engaged in relief and rescue efforts across the country struggling with the deluge that has killed more than 1,600 people.

For the past two decades, Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by the Balochistan Liberation Army and other separatist groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad. The government says it has quelled the insurgency, but violence in the province has persisted.