Lahore: Northern Pakistan has been devastated by heavy monsoon rains. Adding to the misery, a helicopter on a rescue mission crashed on Friday due to bad weather, killing five crew on board.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said in a statement that the crash took place in the Pandiyali area of Mohmand district.
“An MI-17 helicopter of the provincial government, carrying relief goods for rain-affected areas of Bajaur, crashed in the Pandiyali area of Mohmand district due to bad weather. Five crew members, including two pilots, were killed,” Gandapur said.
Incessant rains have triggered landslides and flash floods across northern Pakistan. At least 164 people have been killed in the region in the last 24 hours, according to AFP.
As many as 150 deaths were reported from the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Pakistan’s meteorological department has issued a heavy rain alert for the country’s northwest also, urging people to avoid “unnecessary exposure to vulnerable areas.”
In 2022, monsoon floods submerged one-third of Pakistan, resulting in 1,700 deaths.
