Peru: At least 15 people, including seven children, were killed when a military helicopter conducting rescue operations with severe flooding crashed in southern Peru, authorities said.
The Peruvian Air Force reported that the Mi-17 aircraft lost radio contact while flying over the hard-hit Arequipa region, where torrential rain has triggered flash floods, mudslides and widespread destruction. Rescue teams located the wreckage in the Chala district.
Officials confirmed that all 11 passengers and four crew members on board died in the crash. Among the victims were seven children, including a three-year-old. Local media reported that some armed forces personnel had relatives accompanying them on the flight.
The helicopter had departed from Pisco, in the Ica region, bound for Chala to support search-and-rescue missions as overflowing rivers and landslides devastated communities. The aircraft was later found near Chala Viejo, a coastal town close to the Pacific shoreline.
In a statement, the air force expressed condolences to the victims’ families, friends and personnel, describing the loss as irreparable. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
Severe weather continues to batter Arequipa, with heavy rainfall causing rivers to burst their banks, homes to flood and trees to collapse. Local reports said at least two additional people died due to the storms, floodwaters swept away an elderly woman in the Cayma district, and a man was killed by lightning.
Regional governor Rohel Sánchez said local authorities have sought urgent assistance from the national government as numerous homes have been damaged or declared uninhabitable. Dramatic footage circulating on social media showed torrents of mud and debris surging through residential streets and water inundating houses. Emergency crews remain on high alert as Peru braces for further rainfall in the coming days.
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