At least six people were killed when a Qatari military helicopter crashed in the Gulf state’s territorial waters following a technical malfunction, the government confirmed on Sunday. Seven people were on board, and search operations are continuing for one missing crew member. Qatar’s defence ministry said the helicopter experienced a malfunction during a routine duty, while the Turkish Defence Ministry confirmed that one Turkish soldier and two personnel from Turkish defence firm Aselsan were among the dead. Authorities have begun inspections to determine the exact cause of the crash.

The Qatari defence ministry identified the deceased as three members of the Qatar Armed Forces, one officer from the Qatar-Turkiye Joint Forces, and two Turkish civilian collaborators. Officials extended condolences to the victims’ families and emphasized that there was no indication of hostile action behind the incident.

The crash occurred as Qatar faces heightened regional tensions following Iranian attacks on its Ras Laffan Industrial City, which caused significant damage to its liquefied natural gas facilities and reduced export capacity by 17 percent, resulting in an estimated $20 billion annual revenue loss, according to QatarEnergy’s CEO Saad al-Kaabi.