According to the Turkish National Defense Ministry, at least 11 members of the Turkish army, one of them a senior official, died as a military helicopter crashed in Tatvan district of Bitlis. Two other soldiers were reported injured in the crash which occurred this afternoon.

The death toll, which was 10 according to a previous official statement, rose to 11 after one of those wounded died of his injuries. Commander of the 8th Corps Lt. Gen. Osman Erbaş is among those killed in the crash, the cause of which was not disclosed.