Pakistan: MI-17 helicopter crashes during rescue mission, 5 killed | World News

A helicopter carrying a rescue mission in monsoon-hit northern Pakistan crashed on Friday, killing five crew on board, AFP reported, citing a statement from the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said that the crash took place in the Pandiyali area of Mohmand district due to bad weather.

“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,” Gandapur said in a statement. “Five crew members, including two pilots, were killed.”

Heavy monsoon 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.

The majority of the deaths, 150, were recorded in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

Pakistan’s meteorological department has also issued a heavy rain alert for the northwest, urging people to avoid “unnecessary exposure to vulnerable areas”.

According to AFP, in 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country and killed 1,700 people.