Mi-17 Helicopter Crash in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Kills 5 Crew Members on Relief Mission (WATCH)
Synopsis
Five crew members died on Friday when an Mi-17 helicopter, engaged in a relief operation amid heavy rains, crashed in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The chopper was on an emergency mission to assist rain-hit areas.
A helicopter carrying relief supplies to flood-hit areas in north-western Pakistan crashed on Friday, killing all five crew members, officials confirmed. The MI-17 aircraft, operated by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, went down in the Pandiyali area of Mohmand district while en route to deliver aid to rain-affected Bajaur. Provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said the victims included two pilots, and blamed the crash on poor weather conditions. The region has been reeling under relentless monsoon rains, which have triggered flash floods, landslides and large-scale damage to homes and infrastructure.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, at least eight people have died, while emergency teams are evacuating stranded domestic tourists due to rain-related incidents. Authorities have warned of more rain in the coming days, raising fears of further casualties and damage. The incident underscores the dangers faced by rescue and relief teams working in treacherous weather to reach isolated and flood-affected communities across the region.
Amid bad weather, a powerful glacial lake outburst flood in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) caused severe destruction, blocking the Karakoram Highway (KKH) and leaving hundreds of tourists and travellers stranded. According to Dawn, the flood was triggered on Tuesday evening by rapid glacier melting in Gulmit, Gojal, and Hunza, sending a torrent through the Juchar nullah. The surge destroyed a women-run restaurant, a government tourist centre, orchards, farmland, and key infrastructure, including electricity and communication poles.
A bridge and sections of the KKH were swept away, cutting off the main route to the Khunjerab Pass and China, with no alternative route available. A severed fibre optic line has left the area without phone or internet services, while damage to power lines near Sost has caused blackouts. Efforts to reopen the highway have been stalled by high water levels and landslides.
In Hassanabad, an outburst from the Shishper glacier destroyed two homes and threatens more. Other areas, including Shigar district, have also been hit, with villages destroyed, crops damaged, and key roads to K2 blocked. Authorities in Punjab have issued evacuation orders along the Sutlej River due to worsening monsoon flood risks.