Army helicopter crashes in central Iran, killing four

TEHRAN

A helicopter belonging to the Iranian army's Air Force crashed on Tuesday into a fruit market in the central province of Isfahan, killing four people, state media reported.

The pilot, co-pilot and two fruit vendors on the ground were killed, the official IRNA news agency said, attributing the crash to "a technical malfunction".

The tragedy took place in the city of Khomeynishahr in Isfahan province.

Sanctions-hit Iran has suffered several air disasters in recent years, with officials complaining of difficulties acquiring spare parts to keep its ageing fleets in the air.

On Thursday, an Iranian fighter jet crashed, killing one of two pilots onboard during a late-night training exercise in the western Hamedan province, Iran's state broadcaster said.