Chopper with businessman Yusuff Ali crash lands in Kerala; 'earsplitting sound' says local
According to locals, the pilot's intervention averted a major tragedy. The mishap occurred at around 9am.
A helicopter with businessman MA Yusuff Ali - chairman of LuLu Group - and six others on board crash-landed in Kochi city of Kerala on Sunday morning. According to the company, all sevem passengers including Ali, his four family members and two pilots are safe and currently under medical observation at Lake Shore Hospital in Kochi.
The incident took place at 9am, according to officials. The chopper was supposed to land at the KUFOS campus ground but had to touch down near the highway due to technical issues.
The locals said that they heard an "earsplitting sound" as the chopper crash-landed in a marsh. "It was raining heavily in the morning. We heard the sound of the helicopter and it suddenly came down with an earsplitting sound. In the impact the chopper was submerged almost half in the marsh," said K Rajesh, one of the first to reach the site. His house is just 20 metres away from the crash site.
The police believe a technical glitch caused the mishap. Further investigation is underway.
Lu Lu group is one of the biggest supermarket chains. It is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
On Friday, Ali was honoured with the highest civilian award for his contribution to Abu Dhabi's business, industry and support to various philanthropic initiatives, the LuLu Group said in a statement.He awarded the honour by the Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.