The military reported Tuesday that a helicopter crash in southwest Pakistan, while carrying out flood relief operations, claimed the lives of six Pakistani service members, among them a senior commander.
During natural disasters like the floods that have inundated portions of Pakistan this monsoon season, civil authorities there rely largely on the army.
A helicopter carrying six people and crew on a relief mission in Balochistan, including Lieutenant-General Sarfraz Ali, one of the army’s senior commanders, was reported missing Monday night.
In a statement Tuesday, the military said all aboard had died in a crash they attributed to bad weather.
“All the six officers and soldiers… embraced shahadat (martyrdom),” it said.
This year, Pakistan has been severely affected by violent monsoon rains and fatal flooding, especially in the Balochistan province, which is bordered by Iran and Afghanistan.
At least 478 people have already passed away, 136 of whom were in Balochistan.
