Four soldiers were killed after a S-70 military helicopter belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces crashed in Yeşilyurt district of Malatya province, Türkiye's Ministry of National Defence (MSB) announced.

The ministry said the helicopter suffered an accident for an undetermined reason and that four personnel aboard the aircraft lost their lives.

In a statement, the MSB said, "As a result of our S-70 type helicopter suffering an accident in Malatya due to an undetermined reason, four of our heroic comrades-in-arms aboard the helicopter were martyred."

The crash occurred at around 6:45 p.m. in the Samanköy area of Yeşilyurt district. Following reports of the accident, emergency response teams, including firefighters, medical crews and personnel from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), were dispatched to the scene.

A small fire that broke out following the crash was brought under control by response teams, while security and military officials began investigations at the site.

In its initial statement, the Ministry of National Defence said that the wreckage had been located and that search and rescue operations had immediately started.

Later, the ministry confirmed the loss of four military personnel and expressed condolences to their families, the Turkish Armed Forces and the nation.

The cause of the crash has not yet been disclosed, and investigations into the incident are ongoing.

The S-70 is a twin-engine, medium-lift, multi-purpose military helicopter family developed by the US-based Sikorsky Aircraft. The platform was designed in the late 1970s based on the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter developed for the US Army and has been produced in various configurations for international users.

The S-70 family is widely used for missions including troop transport, search and rescue operations, medical evacuation and other military support tasks.(ILKHA)