Army chopper crashes in Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh military chopper crash: The accident was reported in a village in Arunachal Pradesh.
A military chopper crashed on Friday in Arunachal Pradesh. The crash was reported in a village in the Upper Siang district. “We have initiated search and rescue operations and sent teams to the crash site. No further details on the number of passengers and their condition (are) available yet,” said a senior district official of the Upper Siang district.
While the rescue teams were rushed, the site of the accident is said to be remotely located. "The location of the crash is very remote. The nearest village to the crash site is located around 140 km from the district headquarters Yingkiong. And it takes several hours of trek to reach the crash site. We have dispatched a team to the place. More details will be known once they reach the site," said Jummar Basar, superintendent of police, Upper Siang.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju posted a video from the accident site. "Received very disturbing news about Indian Army’s Advanced Light Helicopter crash in Upper Siang District in Arunachal Pradesh. My deepest prayers," he wrote.
Earlier this month, an Indian Army pilot was killed and another was injured when a helicopter crashed Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang, one of India’s last points before China. More than 40 people - including former chief minister Dorjee Khandu - are reported to have lost their lives killed in six helicopter crashes in the north-eastern state since 2010, HT had detailed in a report at that time.
Friday's accident comes days after seven people aboard a chopper - operated by a private agency - had died after the helicopter crashed near the Kedarnath Dham. Among the seven were pilgrims and the pilot.
(This is a BREAKING NEWS story. It will be updated as developments emerge)