No survivors were reported after an Mi-17 helicopter of Pakistan Army Aviation crashed near Muzaffarabad on Wednesday during take-off “due to a technical fault”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

Rescue and recovery teams immediately reached the crash site. “All personnel on board embraced martyrdom. There were no survivors,” the ISPR said in a statement, reports the Dawn.

“A board of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the exact technical cause of the accident,” the military’s media affairs wing said.

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, along with all ranks of the army, expressed “deep grief over the tragic loss of precious lives and extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families”, the ISPR said.

The army’s aviation wing began operating Russian-made Mi-17 transport helicopters in the late 1990s. Mi-17s are considered reliable workhorses of Pakistan Army Aviation.

The helicopter can perform utility, transport and combat roles. It carries a crew of three and has space for up to 24 troops or four tonnes of cargo.

Over the years, the United States has helped Pakistan refurbish and overhaul 22 Mi-17 helicopters.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief and sorrow over the helicopter crash, state-run APP reported.

In separate statements, the president and the prime minister extended their heartfelt sympathies to the families of those martyred in the accident.

“The entire nation pays tribute to the great sacrifice of the martyrs and shares the grief of the bereaved families,” President Zardari said.

Paying tribute to the personnel who embraced martyrdom in the crash, PM Shehbaz said that the entire nation salutes the brave soldiers for their sacrifices.

Both leaders prayed for the elevation of the martyrs’ ranks and for strength and patience for the bereaved families.