Aid chopper crashes in NW Pakistan as rains, flash floods kill 227

ISLAMABAD

A helicopter carrying relief supplies crashed, killing five crew members, including two pilots, in the northwestern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as fresh rains and flash floods left 227 people dead nationwide.

The Mi-17 helicopter of the provincial government was carrying relief supplies to areas affected by heavy rains when it crashed "due to bad weather," said the provincial chief minister, Ali Amin Gandapur.

Rains and flash floods killed 227 people, including 206 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local broadcaster Geo.

The National Disaster Management Authority said scores of others remain missing.

Deaths were also reported in Gilgit-Baltistan province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir (also known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir).

Heavy rain and cloudbursts caused widespread flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, spokesperson for the provincial rescue unit, Bilal Ahmed Faizi, earlier told Anadolu over the phone.

The rescue teams said heavy rain and a cloudburst had caused massive flooding in the Salarzai area of the Bajaur district on Friday morning, resulting in the washing away of several houses.

Gandapur said the crashed chopper was carrying supplies to the Bajaur area.

Local authorities have relocated many people to safer places due to rains and landslides in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

The NDMA has warned of another spell of monsoon rains from Friday until Sept. 10.

Authorities also cautioned that the rise in temperatures accelerated the melting of snow and glaciers across high-altitude regions, increasing water flows in rivers.

Monsoon rains, which typically last from June to September, often cause destruction across South Asia, including Pakistan, but climate change has further increased their unpredictability and intensity in recent years.