An Iranian army helicopter crashed into a fruit and vegetable market in Dorcheh, a town in Isfahan province, on Tuesday, killing at least four people, Iranian state television reported.
The crash occurred approximately 330 kilometers south of Tehran, according to state media. The helicopter was on a training flight at the time of the incident. The pilot and co-pilot were identified by the Army Aviation Training Centre as Colonel Hamed Sarvazad and Major Mojtaba Kiani, respectively. Two merchants working in the market were also killed, bringing the total confirmed death toll to four.
Footage broadcast by state television showed wreckage and emergency responders working to extinguish a fire at the crash site. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, with both the army and the local judiciary involved. Asadollah Jafari, the local judiciary chief, confirmed the opening of a case and the dispatch of investigators to the scene.
The incident comes less than a week after another Iranian military aircraft, an F-4 Phantom II fighter jet, crashed in the western province of Hamedan, resulting in the death of one pilot.
Iran has experienced a number of aviation accidents in recent years. Western sanctions have reportedly limited access to necessary aircraft parts, contributing to the reliance on aging fleets of both military and civilian aircraft, according to the Associated Press.
Dorcheh is located in the Central District of Khomeynishahr County, Isfahan province, and is near a major Iranian airbase. Isfahan province is also home to a nuclear site that was targeted during the Iran-Israel conflict in June, though there is no indication of a connection between that event and Tuesday’s helicopter crash.