TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian military helicopter crashed into a fruit and vegetable market in central Iran on Tuesday, reportedly killing at least four people.
According to Iranian state television, the crash occurred in the town of Dolce, about 330 kilometers (205 miles) south of Tehran, the capital of Iran’s Isfahan province. Isfahan is home to Iran’s main air base and the site of a nuclear facility that the United States attacked in June during the Iran-Iraq war.
State television said the military helicopter was on a training flight. The pilot and co-pilot died in the crash, the report added, showing footage of debris and smoke rising from the market.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said two people died in the accident at the market.
This is the second crash in Iran in less than a week. An F-4 fighter jet crashed near the western Iranian city of Hamadan, killing one pilot.
Iran has a history of fatal car crashes. Western sanctions have dried up supplies of Iranian aircraft parts, leaving both the Iranian government and commercial airlines dependent on an aging fleet of helicopters and planes.
