SRINAGAR: A military helicopter belonging to Qatar crashed into the country’s territorial waters during a routine mission after suffering a technical fault, the defence ministry confirmed on Sunday.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said the aircraft went down due to a malfunction, and search operations are currently underway to locate crew members and passengers.
تعلن وزارة الدفاع القطرية عن تعرض طائرة مروحية قطرية إلى عطل فني أثناء تأدية واجب روتيني، مما أدى إلى سقوطها في المياه الإقليمية للدولة، وجاري البحث عن طاقمها والركاب.
The Ministry of Defense of State of Qatar announces that a Qatari helicopter had technical malfunction during a… pic.twitter.com/5yaYHa6KoW
— وزارة الدفاع – دولة قطر (@MOD_Qatar) March 22, 2026
The Ministry of Interior said specialised rescue teams have been deployed and are working in coordination with maritime search units and the Internal Security Force’s international rescue group to carry out the operation.
Authorities have not yet disclosed details about the number of people on board.
The incident comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the region following the United States–Israel strikes on Iran launched on February 28. Since then, Iran has carried out retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli territory as well as US bases and allied facilities across several Gulf nations.
