A Turkish military helicopter has crashed in the Rahova region in Tatvan district of Bitlis on Thursday.

According to Turkish state reports, 9 soldiers died and 4 others injured as a result. A large number of AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management) and health teams have been dispatched to the scene.

It was not immediately clear what caused the helicopter to crash.

AKP Elazığ MP Tolga Ağar wrote on Twitter that one of the soldiers who died here is Elazığ 8th Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Osman Erbaş.