Turkmen helicopter goes missing in Afghanistan

An MI-8 helicopter from Turkmenistan along with its seven-man crew has gone missing in Afghanistan as it was returning home from the earthquake zone in Pakistan. The chopper had been chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, for use in earthquake relief operations in Pakistan. After completing its mission, the helicopter set of for Turkmenistan on January 20, but after crossing into Afghanistan airspace, it lost radio contact with the ICRC staff. Coalition forces based in Afghanistan have launched a search operation.