A police helicopter crashed into the center of the resort city of Antalya on Turkey's Mediterranean coast Wednesday, killing all five officers on board but causing no casualties on the ground, officials said.
Before the eyes of terrified residents, the helicopter, on a traffic-monitoring mission, came down with a huge bang on one of the city's main streets, close to a major hotel, media reports said.
Television footage showed a blackened tangle of metal burning in a street lined with palm trees as fire-fighters battled the blaze. A technical failure is thought to have caused the crash, Antalya's deputy governor Erkan Isilgan told the CNN-Turk news channel.
The pilot is believed to have made an unsuccessful attempt for an emergency landing at a nearby football stadium, and then tried to touch down in the street without hitting the buildings. "Four policemen died on the spot, while the fifth lost his life on the way to hospital," Isilgan said.
He stressed that the skills of the pilot prevented a possible disaster on the ground: "The helicopter turned into wreckage, but only one or two vehicles were slightly damaged in the street."
Emergency workers were seen carrying a charred body on a stretcher. The police cordoned off the site and launched an investigation into the incident.
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