Two pilots succumbed to their injuries after a helicopter of the Indian Army force-landed near Patnitop in Udhampur of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The pilots had been evacuated and rushed to a treatment facility, an army spokesperson said, adding further details were being ascertained.
In a statement, the army said one of the deceased was a captain, while the other one was a major. Their families were being informed.
“Today, during a training sortie in the Patnitop area, the Indian Army Cheetah Helicopter crash-landed in the Shiv Garh Dhar area in Udhampur district,” the army added.
Earlier, a police officer said a search team was rushed to the spot. It was the locals who launched the rescue operation and evacuated the injured men from a deep gorge.
The officer said the chopper either crashed or crash-landed on a hill. “Search parties have been rushed to the area, but it will take around one and a half hour to reach there by foot. Dense fog in the area is making it difficult for the searchers to pin point exact location,” he added.
DIG, Udhampur Reasi Range Suleman Choudhary, said, “We got information and dispatched a police team towards the Shiv Garh Dhar.”
{{/usCountry}}DIG, Udhampur Reasi Range Suleman Choudhary, said, “We got information and dispatched a police team towards the Shiv Garh Dhar.”
{{/usCountry}}(With inputs from bureau)