Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 21 Oct: Four persons were killed in an army helicopter crash in Upper Siang district on Friday morning, a defence official said.
The advanced light helicopter, carrying five army personnel, was on a regular sortie, he said.
The incident took place at 10:43 am at Singging, near Migging, around 25 kms from district headquarters Tuting.
There were five army personnel onboard. Four bodies have been recovered, while one is yet to be spotted, Tezpur (Assam)-based Defence PRO Lt Col AS Walia said, adding that the cause of the crash is yet to be established.
Two choppers – one each of the army and the India Air Force – were deployed for the search and rescue operation (on Friday), he said.
Upper Siang SP Jummar Basar had earlier said that the crash site is a mountainous region and it would take time for the search and rescue team to reach the spot.
“The district police also sent a team to the spot for search operation,” the SP said.
Upper Siang DC Hage Lailang informed that the district administration is coordinating with the defence team in the search mission.
He, too, informed that the mortal remains of four of the personnel were found.
“However, only two of them could be flown back to Tuting from the place of occurrence,” he said.
The army chopper, also known as HAL Rudra, had taken off from Likabali in Lower Siang district with the army personnel onboard.
Friday’s search operation began at around 2 pm and ended by 6 pm, the defence PRO said.
Meanwhile, the Upper Siang DIPRO informed that the personnel who lost their lives have been identified as Major Vikash Shambala, Major Mustafa Bohara, CFN Ashwin VK, Hawaldar Biresh Singh, and NK Rohitah Kumar.
This is the second incident of an army helicopter accident in the state this month.
A Cheetah helicopter crashed in Tawang district on 5 October, killing one of the two pilots onboard.
Another Cheetah chopper crashed in March near the line of control in Jammu & Kashmir. The pilot died in that incident, too. (With PTI input)
