By Mukesh 
Qatar said on Sunday (March 22, 2026) six people have been confirmed killed in a Qatari helicopter crash in the Persian Gulf nation’s territorial waters.
The Interior Ministry said one person is still missing from the crash, which took place the day before.
The Defence Ministry blamed “technical malfunction” for the helicopter crash. The Interior Ministry’s statement didn’t clarify the nationality of the dead or say if they were civilian or military.
Three Turkish nationals including a serviceman were on board a helicopter that crashed in Qatar’s territorial waters, alongside three Qatari servicemen, the Gulf country’s defence ministry said on Sunday (March 22, 2026).
The Turkish Defence Ministry meanwhile said that “a Qatari armed forces helicopter, which was carrying out a training exercise as part of the Qatar-Turkey Joint Forces Command, crashed into the sea”.
“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.
Five passengers and a pilot were killed, Qatari authorities said, while a second pilot has been reported missing.
Earlier, the Defence Ministry said the helicopter had crashed after suffering a technical malfunction during “routine duty”.
While Qatar has been targeted by several strikes since the start of the West Asia war, no connection has been made between this chopper and the conflict triggered by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
(With AFP, AP, Reuters inputs)