A helicopter crashed into a hospital in southwestern Turkey on Sunday, leaving four people dead, including two pilots, a doctor, and an employee onboard. The accident occurred during take-off and has been attributed to dense fog, according to Mugla provincial governor Idris Akbiyik.
“The helicopter fell to the ground after having struck the fourth storey of a hospital during take-off,” Akbiyik said, noting, “There was intense fog.” He added that an investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.
The helicopter had departed from the rooftop of Mugla’s hospital in poor visibility, en route to Antalya. Video footage aired by NTV television showed the aircraft drifting in the fog shortly after take-off before crashing into an empty field near the hospital.
This incident comes less than two weeks after another helicopter tragedy in Turkey’s southwestern Isparta province, where six soldiers died following a collision between two military helicopters during a training exercise. The defence ministry has yet to clarify the cause of that accident.
