People attend the funeral of Turkish Maj. Gen. Aydogan Aydin in Ankara, Turkey, on June 1, 2017. Turkish Maj. Gen. Aydogan Aydin died in a military helicopter crash which killed 13 soldiers in Turkey's southeastern province of Sirnak, local media reported Thursday. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
ANKARA, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Maj. Gen. Aydogan Aydin died in a military helicopter crash which killed 13 soldiers in Turkey's southeastern province of Sirnak, local media reported Thursday.
Turkish Armed Forces said Wednesday in a statement that an AS 532 Cougar-type helicopter carrying 13 personnel took off from a military command in Senoba, Sirnak. Shortly afterward, the helicopter hit a high voltage line and crashed at 20:55 local time (1855 GMT).
According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, 51-year-old Aydin, who graduated from the Military Academy in 1987, had served as the 23rd Gendarmerie Border Division Commander since August 2016.
A funeral ceremony was held Thursday at the 23rd Gendarmerie Border Division Command.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed early Thursday his condolences following the helicopter crash.
"We will never forget the heroism of these soldiers, which have enabled us to achieve tremendous successes in the fight against terrorists in recent months," Erdogan said Thursday in a statement released by the Presidential Press Center.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and his wife visited the family of Aydin in Ankara.
Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, Defense Minister Fikri Isik, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu late Wednesday headed to Sirnak following the accident.
The accident happened in Senoba district near the Turkey-Iraq border. The investigation teams have been dispatched to the accident area.
The crash was the third such accident by a Cougar helicopter which has been in use within the land forces for the past 21 years.
