Iranian Army Helicopter Crashes into Market, Four Killed

ISFAHAN: An Iranian Army helicopter crashed into a fruit market in the central province of Isfahan on Tuesday, killing four people, state media reported.

The Iranian Army Helicopter went down in the city of Dorcheh, sparking a fire that was later extinguished by emergency services, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash, along with two fruit vendors on the ground. Authorities attributed the incident to a “technical malfunction”.

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Iran has experienced several air disasters in recent years, with officials citing difficulties in obtaining spare parts due to international sanctions. The country’s aviation sector has long struggled to maintain ageing aircraft, many of which were purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

A week earlier, a US-built F-4 Phantom II operated by Iran’s regular air force crashed during a training mission in the western province of Hamadan, killing one pilot.

Aviation experts have repeatedly pointed to Iran’s poor air safety record, highlighting recurring crashes linked to ageing fleets and maintenance challenges.