4 Qatari military personnel, three Turk national killed in helicopter crash: Interior Ministry

• A Qatari armed forces helicopter, carrying out a training exercise as part of Qatar-Turkiye Joint Forces Command, crashed into sea: Turkish defence ministry

 DOHA: Qatar on Sunday confirmed four of its military personnel and three Turkish nationals, including one serviceman, were killed on board a helicopter that crashed in Qatar’s territorial waters.

The Gulf state’s interior ministry said in a statement rescue operations had been completed and a final seventh individual was confirmed dead.

Press Release regarding the findings of the seventh and final missing person in the helicopter crash incident within the State’s territorial waters.#MOIQatar pic.twitter.com/ZK0cVCEJjJ

— Ministry of Interior - Qatar (@MOI_QatarEn) March 22, 2026

“All those who were on board have been found, numbering seven, and their martyrdom has been confirmed,” it said.

Earlier, Qatar’s defence ministry named the victims of the crash as Captain Mubarak Salem Daway al-Marri, Sergeant Fahad Hadi Ghanem al-Khayarin, Corporal Mohammed Maher Mohammed and Captain Saeed Nasser Sameekh from the Qatari armed forces.

The defence ministry also identified Major Sinan Tastekin from the Qatar-TurkiyeJoint Forces and two Turkish civilians, Suleiman Cemra Kahraman and Ismail Anas, as having been killed in the crash.

They are the first recorded fatalities from both countries since the US and Israel unleashed strikes on Iran on February 28 and the Islamic republic launched a retaliatory air campaign against its Gulf neighbours.

The Turkish defence ministry said: “A Qatari armed forces helicopter, which was carrying out a training exercise as part of the Qatar-Turkiye Joint Forces Command, crashed into the sea.”

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

“A member of the Turkish armed forces and two Aselsan technicians” were killed in the crash, the ministry said, referring to the Turkish defence giant.

The Qatari defence ministry had earlier said that the helicopter crashed due to a “technical malfunction” during a routine flight.