Agencies
Istanbul
Four people were killed in southwest Turkey on Sunday when an ambulance helicopter collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground.
The helicopter was taking off from the Mugla Training and Research Hospital, carrying two pilots, a doctor and another medical worker, the health ministry said in a statement.
Mugla’s regional governor, Idris Akbiyik, told reporters the helicopter first hit the fourth floor of the hospital building before crashing into the ground. No one inside the building or on the ground was hurt.
The cause of the accident, which took place during heavy fog, was being investigated.
Footage from the site showed debris from the crash scattered around the area outside the hospital building, with several ambulances and emergency teams at the scene.
The deceased were the two pilots, a doctor and another individual. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to the victims in a post on X.
Akbiyik said the helicopter was set to fly to the neighbouring province of Antalya. It was foggy at the time of departure.
A video posted by the NTV broadcaster showed the helicopter lifting off in thick fog and drifting towards the hospital with its tail.
The impact damaged the hospital’s façade, photos showed. Patients in the building were not injured, according to official reports.
The accident comes just under two weeks after six soldiers were killed when two helicopters collided during an army training exercise in Turkey’s southwestern Isparta province.
At the time the defence ministry did not specify what caused that crash.
