PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has confirmed that a government MI-17 helicopter crashed while transporting relief supplies to Salarzai in Bajaur, media reported.
According to official sources, contact with the helicopter was lost due to bad weather while it was flying over Mohmand’s airspace. The crash resulted in the martyrdom of all 5 crew members.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur stated that all possible efforts were made to re-establish contact with the helicopter before the crash was confirmed. Rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the site on his directives.
He further added that the province’s second government helicopter is currently engaged in rescue operations in Buner.
Earlier, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has reported that heavy rains and flash floods over the past 24 hours have claimed 43 lives and injured 14 people across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the PDMA, the deceased include two women and eight children, while the injured comprise 11 men, two women, and one child.
The PDMA report stated that 30 houses have been damaged in total, with 25 partially destroyed and five completely demolished.
Fatal incidents were recorded in Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla, and Battagram, with Bajaur and Battagram identified as the worst-affected districts.
Rescue operations are ongoing in the disaster-hit areas, with PDMA teams, local authorities, and volunteers engaged in relief efforts.
The PDMA has warned that the spell of heavy rains is likely to continue intermittently until August 21, potentially aggravating the flood situation in vulnerable districts.
Survivors have urged the government to speed up rescue activities and arrange immediate shelter for those left homeless.
In Mansehra, lightning and a cloudburst also triggered flooding, with reports of further casualties and property losses.
Meanwhile, in Swat’s Mingora, Malam Jabba, Haji Baba, Khwazakhela, and Marghazar, low-lying areas have been submerged, flooding hundreds of homes and cutting off access to several localities.
Many residents, including women and children, have taken refuge on rooftops, while in some areas people are evacuating on their own due to the worsening situation. –Agencies
