At least four people have died after a military helicopter crashed onto a fruit and veg market in Iran. The horror crash killed the pilot, co-pilot and two street vendors on the ground.

The helicopter came down in the city of Dorcheh area of Isfahan province on Tuesday. The city is roughly 205 miles from south of Tehran, state media reported. The Isfahan complex is one of three Iranian uranium-enrichment plants bombed by the United States in June. 

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The Army Aviation Training Centre, in a statement, identified the killed soldiers as Colonel Hamed Sarvazad, the pilot; and his co-pilot, Major Mojtaba Kiani.

Racing to the wreckage the emergency services scrambled to put out the fire. Footage from the scene shows firefighters wearing protective gear standing among heavy smoke and debris. 

There is visible smoke rising from the wreckage suggesting the fire was still smouldering. According to Mehr News Agency, the helicopter was taking part in a training mission at the time of the crash.

The cause of the blaze has yet to be confirmed. However, state media said it was likely caused by a technical fault.

The crash comes a week after a US built F-4 fighter belonging to Iran’s Air Force crashed in the western province of Hamadan, killing one pilot during a training flight.

Iran has a history of deadly crashes. A helicopter carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and the foreign minister crashed while travelling back from East Azerbaijan on May 19 2024.