NEW YORK: The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), known as MONUSCO, has secured the crash site of the ill-fated UN helicopter and begun a preliminary investigation into the incident, a UN spokesman said.
Six Pakistani, one Russian and Serbian peacekeepers also died in the crash on Tuesday. UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told his regular press briefing in New York that a ceremony to honour the fallen peacekeepers from Pakistan, Russia and Serbia is planned for Saturday in Goma, the capital of DRC’s North Kivu province.
Replying to a question, the spokesman said that the work on the repatriation of the bodies of the fallen peacekeepers to their respective countries was underway. Asked about persisting reports that the Puma helicopter, with eight peacekeepers aboard, was shot down by M23 rebels fighting the Congolese army, Dujarric said the investigation had just opened.
“We take these investigations very seriously– forensics needs to be done; the aircraft has to be examined, and other things have to be looked at,” he said. “So we don’t want to jump to any conclusions.”
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issues a statement expressing his sorrow over the tragic incident and offered his “sincere” condolences to the bereaved families and to the governments of the three of countries.
Earlier Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the investigations into the cause of the crash are underway and informed that we are in touch with the United Nations.
In a message on Twitter, Qureshi wrote, “I salute the officers and soldiers in charge of the peace mission who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.”
The the foreign minister said officers were martyred in the UN peace and stability mission in Congo and he as deep sympathies for his family. “The United Nations has been contacted to investigate the helicopter crash,” he noted.
A Pakistan Army helicopter crashed in a UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, killing eight people, including officers and soldiers. According to ISPR, a tragic incident took place in the African country of Congo yesterday where a PUMA helicopter crashed while undertaking a reconnaissance mission in Congo.
Eight officers of the peace mission including six officers of the Pakistan Army were martyred in the accident. The martyrs of the Pakistan Army include Lieutenant Colonel Asif, Major Saad, Assistant Pilot Major Faizan Ali, Deputy Subedar Samiullah Khan, Havaldar Muhammad Ismail, and Crew Chief Muhammad Jamil.
