Chopper escorting Musharraf crashes

One of three helicopters escorting Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf crashed near Muzzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), today, killing four soldiers on board, officials said.

Pakistani officials said that technical problems were to blame for the incident.

Musharraf had reached his destination, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad told Pakistani television channel - Dawn News TV.

Abbas Gardezi, a local journalist, said he saw an army helicopter crash about 12 miles south of Muzaffarabad. He said the chopper hit the ground and exploded.The aircraft was entirely destroyed.

An unnamed senior army official was quoted by Pakistan TV chennels, saying that the "helicopter was one of three taking Musharraf to Muzaffarabad for attending functions to commemorate the second anniversary of deadly earthquake that had killed nearly 80,000 people.

Musharraf had scored a landslide victory in the Presidential election on Saturday. However, he needs a favourable verdict from the Pakistan supreme court on October 13 to enable him to become a civilian president legally.

Arshad only said an army helicopter made a crash landing due to a technical fault en route Muzaffarabad. "Four troops died and some were injured," he said.

Arshad said the president had reached some other area when the chopper went down. He declined to say how close Musharraf had been to the crash.

"The president was in some other chopper and he safely reached where he had to go," he said.

The president's spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, was among several passengers on the chopper who were injured, a senior government official said. Officials did not comment on his condition.

Security was tight in Muzaffarabad this morning, severely restricting the movement of civilian residents around the city, apparently in anticipation of the arrival of a VIP visitor.