SRINAGAR – A co-pilot of the Indian army succumbed to injuries after a Cheetah helicopter crashed near Line of Control (LoC) in Indian occupied Kashmir on Friday.
Reports in Indian media said the crashed rotary-wing aircraft was on its way to pick up ailing border force personnel.
Maj Sankalp Yadav, 29 years old, died on the spot while the other pilot, a lieutenant colonel, suffered injuries and has been rushed to a medical facility in Srinagar. Initial reports suggest that the crash chopper drifted away while landing in wake of harsh weather conditions.
The copter had taken off from Sharifabad and was moving towards Dawar when it lost contact. Meanwhile, rescue teams have been dispatched while air reconnaissance teams are looking for survivors, per reports.
The ill-fated chopper was on a rescue mission to shift a paramilitary soldier of border force however, it ended up crashing near the Tulial area of the Gurez valley in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian army also issued a statement saying the Cheetah helicopter crashed in the Baraub area of Gurez in Bandipora district during a routine mission to evacuate an ailing soldier from a forward post.
Exact details will be revealed later as a court of inquiry will ascertain the reasons behind the accident.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/11-Mar-2022/deeply-regrettable-india-admits-firing-missile-into-pakistan
More than 15 helicopters of the Indian army crashed since March 2017, claiming more than 30 personnel’s lives.
Last year, first Indian chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat was killed with his wife and other officers in one of the worst helicopter crashes in recent times.
