A Saudi pilot and co-pilot were killed when their helicopter crashed in eastern Yemen, a Saudi-led coalition said Friday, Anadolu reported.

“A coalition helicopter belonging to a Saudi infantry brigade crashed due to a technical error,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki as saying.

“Both the pilot and his assistant were martyred while conducting counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling operations in Yemen’s eastern Al-Mahra province,” the spokesman added.