Turkish police helicopter crashes in east with 12 onboard

A police helicopter carrying 12 people crashed in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday, officials said.

The helicopter, whose passengers included seven policemen, one judge and one non-commissioned officer, crashed at around 9:40 CET, 10 minutes after taking off, in the eastern province of Tunceli, the governor's office said in a statement.

The other three people on board were crew members.

“It is being assessed that the helicopter crashed due to adverse weather conditions,” the statement continued.

Several search and rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.

In March, seven people were killed, including four Russians, when a privately owned helicopter crashed in Istanbul after hitting a television tower.