Pakistan helicopter crash kills Norwegian and Filipino ambassadors

Aircraft was en route to to the city of Gilgit where prime minister Nawaz Sharif was to attend a public ceremony

A Pakistani army helicopter carries survivors to hospital (AFP/Getty Images)

Ambassadors to the Philippines and Norway have been killed in a helicopter crash in northern Pakistan, according to the military.

The aircraft, carrying 11 foreigners and six Pakistanis, made an emergency landing in the northern area of Naltar, killing two pilots and four foreign passengers, according to the army.

It is unclear what caused the MI-17 helicopter to crash.

Army spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa said the surviving passengers suffered "varying degree of injuries".

The passengers were flying to the city of Gilgit where prime minister Nawaz Sharif was to attend a public ceremony.

Mr Sharif was in his own plane en route to Gilgit when the "tragic news" was conveyed to him, according to a statement from the prime minister's office. It said the premier returned to Islamabad early in the wake of the crash.

It said Mr Sharif expressed his "deep grief and sorrow over the tragic incident" and that he "extended heartfelt condolences to those who lost their lives in this incident".

PA