Indian Army helicopter crash kills two soldiers

Indian Army helicopter crash kills two soldiers

2011-02-03 10:06:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

MUMBAI, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- An Indian Army helicopter on Wednesday morning crashed in the central region of the country, killing two soldiers, local media reported.

The Cheetah helicopter crashed into a civilian area near Nashik, India - which is located in the northwest of Maharashtra, around 180 kilometers (112 miles) from Mumbai - at around 8:45 a.m. local time, causing the death of both pilots, but no ground casualties were reported, the Indian Express reported.

The helicopter had just taken off from the Combat Army Aviation Training School, which is located in Nashik, as the pilots were on their way to Bangalore on a 'maintenance' flight, field officers of the 665 Army Aviation Squadron told the paper.

The helicopter experienced technical difficulties and crashed shortly after. A school bus full of children was on a nearby road, but the pilots were able to maneuver their way out of civilian territory, successfully avoiding any ground casualties. No further information was available.

The victims of the accident were identified as Major Bhanu Chander, who had recently gotten married six months ago, and Major Atul Garje, who is survived by his wife and three-month-old daughter.

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