The debris of the Pakistan Army’s aviation helicopter that went missing a day earlier has been found at Moosa Goth near the Sassi Punnu Shrine in Balochistan, Deputy Inspector-General Pervaiz Khan Umrani said on Tuesday.
The helicopter was en route from Quetta to Karachi and went missing nearly at 5:30pm yesterday, with important personalities aboard.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the aviation helicopter was on a flood relief operation in Lasbela, Balochistan when it lost contact with air traffic control (ATC).
Corp Commander Quetta Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali, who was supervising the flood relief operations in the province, was among six people on board.
The Lasbela senior superintendent of police said at around 12:25pm, police recovered the crashed helicopter at Haji Moosa Goth on the top of a mountain, which was seven to eight kilometres away from Abbas Police Post, Sakran.
“The heli[copter] is completely destroyed. Police are further searching the area,” he said in a statement.
COAS informs PM of latest developments
In a telephonic conversation earlier today, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa informed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of the most recent developments in the search for the army aviation chopper.
The prime minister was concerned about the six missing army personnel and jawans.
“Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali is a top professional soldier and a wonderful person,” the prime minister said.
He expressed concern for the safety of everyone on board.
The prime minister also asked the nation to keep the brave Pakistani soldiers in their thoughts and prayers, and stated that the unfortunate incident has deeply saddened the entire country.
“These dutiful sons who helped flood victims have emerged as great examples of service,” the premier said.
The army chief has been informing the prime minister about the ongoing search for the missing helicopter since last night.
