The bodies of two Indian Air Force officers and one India Reserve Battalion jawan were recovered from the spot where an IAF helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, PTI reported on Thursday. A massive search operation was launched to find the missing chopper on Wednesday.
In a statement, an IAF spokesperson said that the Arunachal Pradesh police team spotted the wreckage of the helicopter on Wednesday evening. He said that rescue parties comprising IAF aircraft and medical teams, Indian army personnel and personnel from the National Disaster Response Force were able to reach the crash site along with the Arunachal Pradesh police team.
The search is now on for the fourth officer on board the aircraft. The spokesperson said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.
The police had initially said there were three people on board the helicopter - Wing Commander MS Dhillon, the pilot, Flight Lieutenant PK Singh and Flight Engineer Sergeant Gujjar. Later, they confirmed that an IRB jawan was also with the officers. The team was on a mission to help evacuate people stranded in Sagalee and Dambuk following massive landslides caused by heavy rain. The IRB jawan was identified as Nada Umbing from Hija village of Lower Subansiri district.
This is not the first time an IAF aircraft has gone missing this year. On May 23, an IAF Sukhoi fighter jet went missing with two crew members on board. The wreckage was found three days later. The aircraft had disappeared after taking off from the Tezpur Salonibari Air Force station in Assam at 10.30 am, on a routine training sortie.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!