Rawalpindi (Web Desk): At least six Pakistan Army officers and soldiers among eight United Nations (UN) peacekeepers lost their lives when a Puma helicopter crashed while undertaking a reconnaissance mission in Congo, the military's media wing said on late Tuesday.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that exact cause of crash is yet to be ascertained.
The martyred personnel were identified as Pilot Lieutenant Colonel Asif Ali Awan, Co-Pilot Major Saad Nomani, Major Faizan Ali, flight engineer Naib subedar Samiullah Khan, the crew chief havaldar Muhammad Ismail, and gunner Muhammad Jamil.
"Pakistan always played a pivotal role as responsible member of the international community to help realize ideals of global peace and security during various UN peacekeeping missions," the statement said.
An aviation mission of Pakistan was deployed in UN Mission Congo on peacekeeping duties since 2011.
Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his "deep sense of shock and grief", his office said, paying tribute to the global peace effort by the country's armed forces.