News Story

Pakistani soldiers offered funeral prayers on Thursday over the coffins of security personnel killed in a helicopter crash that left no survivors in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Soldiers in military fatigues joined dozens of local residents at the ceremony in the city of Muzaffarabad, where around 20 coffins were draped in Pakistani flags, according to an AFP journalist.

The army helicopter crashed near Muzaffarabad on Wednesday due to a technical fault, the military said.

"The people of Kashmir salute all these brave martyrs and honour their courage, dedication and unwavering commitment to the nation," said Shahid Wani, a 53-year-old Muzaffarabad resident.

Following the ceremony, the coffins were loaded onto ambulances to transport the victims' remains for burial in their hometowns.

The accident killed all personnel on board the helicopter, according to the military, which has not confirmed the number of passengers left dead.

Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but has been divided between them since their independence from British rule.

The Pakistani military and government consider the region highly sensitive after years of frequent skirmishes and full-blown wars with India.

There has been a heavy security presence in recent days in Muzaffarabad after members of a protest movement banned by the local government under anti-terror laws said they would hold demonstrations.