ISTANBUL (Reuters) — A military helicopter crashed in southeast Turkey on Thursday, killing 11 army personnel including a lieutenant general and injuring three, the defence ministry said.

The helicopter took off from the Bingol province at 10:55 GMT, the ministry said in a statement, adding that search operations were launched after it lost contact at 11:25 GMT.

It described the crash as an accident, but did not elaborate. The injured soldiers were being taken to hospital, the ministry added.

The area where the incident occurred is subject to regular Turkish military patrols and missions against Kurdish militants. In 2017, a military helicopter crashed in the southeastern Sirnak Province near Turkey’s border with Syria and Iraq, killing 13 troops.