Military helicopter goes missing with Quetta commander onboard

ISPR says XII Corps Commander Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali, along with five others, was supervising flood relief operations

A Pakistan Army helicopter reviewing flood relief operations in Lasbela, Balochistan, went missing on Monday, with the top military commander from the southwestern province on board, the military’s media wing said.

“A Pakistan army aviation helicopter which was on flood relief operations in Lasbela, Balochistan lost contact with ATC (air traffic control). 6 individuals were on board including Commander 12 Corps who was supervising flood relief operations in Balochistan. Search operation is underway,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general said in a tweet.

The XII Corps, also known as Quetta Corps, is commanded by Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali, who was on the helicopter.

According to some reports, Pakistan Coast Guard Director General Brigadier Amjad Hanif Satti was also aboard, while Major Syed was the pilot and Major Talha the co-pilot of the helicopter. Engineer Brigadier Khalid and Chief Naik Mudassir were also reportedly onboard.

Following the incident, the district administration said a helicopter crashed in the vicinity of the Sassi Punnu Shrine, located near the Windar area. However, the ISPR is yet to confirm whether it was the same helicopter. Local residents say that the helicopter was seen flying low after which it disappeared. It was also reported that the incident took place minutes before sunset.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the disappearance of the army helicopter as “alarming”. “The entire nation prays to Allah Almighty for the safety, security and return of these sons of the country who came out to help the flood victims,” he tweeted in Urdu.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo also expressed concern about the disappearance of the army helicopter. “May Allah Almighty protect all the people and crew in the helicopter,” Bizenjo said in a statement. “The chief minister instructed the district administration of Lasbela and the police to use all means and resources to search for the helicopter, [and] provide full support to administration and police rescue teams,” the statement read.

Khuzdar Deputy Inspector General Pervez Imrani said that local police teams were trying to find the helicopter, and added that since the area consists of mountain ranges, it is creating difficulties in the search operation. He further said that despite the difficulties caused by the terrain, police teams were trying to search the helicopter on motorcycles as well.

Pakistan has witnessed torrential rains since the monsoon season began in June, causing flashfloods in several parts of the country. The Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and Pakistan Navy have been conducting rescue operations in the province after deadly floods wreaked havoc, claiming 136 lives.

According to reports, the toll mounted after nine more people lost their lives in rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours.