A United States army helicopter delivering aid in earthquake-stricken Pakistan apparently came under fire, the US military said on Tuesday. But Pakistan said the blast heard by the pilot was caused by dynamite.
US Central Command said in a statement the CH-47 Chinook helicopter was not hit and returned safely with its crew to Chaklala air base. The statement said the aircraft, "Is believed to have been fired upon by a rocket-propelled grenade,'' but did not identify who fired the weapon.
However, Pakistani army spokesman General Shauket Sultan told CNN a dynamite blast by engineers clearing a road caused the explosion as two US helicopters were flying overhead.
''One helicopter had gone past and there was a dynamite blast on the road and the second helicopter immediately took a turn and it went back,'' Sultan
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The Central Command statement said the incident occurred near Chakothi and was under investigation. The Chinook is a twin-engine, tandem-rotor aircraft designed for carrying cargo, troops and weapons.