Six people have been killed after a helicopter crashed in Qatar’s territorial waters, while search operations are underway for the last missing person, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
The Defence Ministry earlier reported that the helicopter went down during routine duty due to a technical malfunction.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said that search and rescue operations in the country’s territorial waters had located six of the seven people on board. It added that specialised teams are continuing intensive efforts to locate the remaining person. The ministry also expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
The Defence Ministry attributed the helicopter crash to a “technical malfunction.” The Interior Ministry did not specify the nationality of those who died, nor did it clarify whether the victims were civilians or military personnel.
No additional information has been released, and there is no indication of hostile involvement.
The incident comes amid rising regional tensions. Qatar has recently experienced multiple Iranian drone and missile strikes following US-Israeli joint attacks on Iran on February 28, including strikes on Ras Laffan Industrial City, a major global liquefied natural gas hub.
Earlier, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior confirmed that specialized teams were conducting ongoing search and rescue operations in the country’s territorial waters after a helicopter crash early Sunday, first reported by the Ministry of Defence.
Authorities have initiated a coordinated response to locate any survivors and evaluate the situation, deploying multiple units with expertise in maritime emergency operations.
