IAF joins search for YSR's missing chopper

The Indian Air Force today afternoon joined the search for a missing helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, pressing four choppers into service, an official said.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday afternoon joined the search for a missing helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, pressing four choppers into service, an official said.

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"We have deployed four helicopters for the rescue mission. They include two Chetaks, besides one Mi-8 and one ALH (advanced light helicopter)," an IAF spokesman here said.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Ramakant Reddy said the chief minister remains untraced after his helicopter went missing amid bad weather on Wednesday morning.

He said the government had not been in touch with the chief minister since 9.45 am.

"So far we have not been able to get any confirmation (about the chief minister)," he said.

"It is possible that because of the strong winds and heavy rains, it may have landed in some unfamiliar area," he said.

"If you land in an unfamiliar forest area, getting out will be very difficult," he added.

YSR, as the chief minister is known, on Wednesday morning took off in the helicopter from Hyderabad. It went off the radar amid inclement weather.