13 soldiers killed in helicopter crash in Turkey's Şırnak

Thirteen soldiers were killed when a helicopter crashed in the Şenoba district of the southeastern province of Şırnak late on May 31.

The General Staff said in a statement that the AS 532 Cougar-type helicopter got tangled in a high-voltage power line shortly after taking off from the Şenoba Brigade Commandship at around 8:55 p.m., according to preliminary information.

The helicopter reportedly crashed after reaching an elevation of 300 meters before the ammunition on board exploded after a fire broke out.

Witnesses said they initially heard a loud explosion and so they went to the scene, where they saw exploding ammunition. 

"When we went to the scene, we saw that the helicopter was still burning. The ammunition inside it was still exploding, so we couldn't get close," one of the witnesses, Ali Belek, said on June 1. 

The slain soldiers have been identified as Division Commander Maj. Gen. Aydoğan Aydın, colonels Oğuzhan Küçükdemir and Gökhan Peker, Lt. Col. Songül Yakut, Major Koray Onay, captains Nuri Şener, İlker Acar and Serhat Sığınak, First Lieutenant Abdulmuttalip Kesikbaş, staff sergeants Fevzi Kıral and Mehmet Erdoğan, and specialized sergeants Hakan İncekar and Zeki Koç.

Aydın and the military delegation took off from Şenoba after carrying out investigations in the military base region when the accident took place. 

The pieces of the helicopter were found some 200 meters away from the high-voltage power line, according to state-run Anadolu Agency. Some of the wires were seen dangling from the power line as a result of the accident. 

The officials said the helicopter crashed in a valley, thus making it difficult to reach the debris immediately.

Many village guards and villagers...