5 martyred in rescue helicopter crash as KP flash floods claim 146 lives
Five people were martyred on Friday when a government helicopter crashed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Changi Banda area, while at least 146 people lost their lives in the last 24 hours and several remained missing as flash floods wreaked havoc across the province.
Since late June, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country — especially KP and northern regions — by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas.
The province-wide deaths included 126 men, eight women and 12 children, with Buner witnessing the highest number of deaths, 78, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
The KP government dispatched a helicopter with supplies to Bajaur district, but said that it lost contact with the aircraft. It later confirmed in a statement that the helicopter had crashed and five passengers were martyred.
“As a result of this tragic accident, five passengers, including two pilots, were martyred,” the statement read, quoting KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
“The provincial government has called for a day of mourning tomorrow and flags will be flown at half mast,” the statement added. “Rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site and the martyrs will be buried with full honours.”
In an earlier statement, the CM was quoted as saying that contact with the helicopter had been lost due to “bad weather”.
According to the statement, a second government helicopter was carrying out relief operations in Buner district.
