Tawang: An Indian Air Force chopper on Friday crashed near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Five people are feared dead in the accident and one person has been seriously injured. Seven people, including five officers and 2 Army jawans, were onboard the Mil Mi-17 helicopter when the crash took place.
“Five personnel have died and one is critically injured. Manpower and machines are on job to retrieve bodies and injured,” the officer said on condition of anonymity.
The crash took place at around 6 am on Friday morning while it was on an Air Maintenance mission.
Rescue teams reached the crash site in Tawang near the Indo-China border and admitted the injured personnel to a local hospital. The IAF has said that Court of Inquiry has been ordered.
The Russian Mil Mi-17 helicopter has served as one of the mainstays of the Air Force’s rotorcraft fleet. It is used in a wide range of terrains and operations, including relief and rescue missions.
Tawang is in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is also claimed by China. It is a strategically important border district and came briefly under Chinese control during the 1962 war between the two neighbouring countries.
The crash took place a day ahead of the Air Force Day which is extensively celebrated by the IAF.
Last week, a trainee IAF aircraft crashed in Keesara in Hyderabad. There were no casualties in that accident. The plane had broken into flames but all three onboard were ejected safely. There were three people, including the pilot, inside the flight when it crashed.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply