Four killed when paramilitary helicopter crashes in western India

Four killed when paramilitary helicopter crashes in western India

2011-05-14 20:29:42 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- Four people were killed when a paramilitary helicopter crashed in India's northwestern state of Rajasthan, the Hindustan Times reported on Saturday.

A Chetak helicopter crashed in the hilly terrain of Rajasthan's Sirohi district when it was flying from Gandhinagar in Gujarat to the air force base at Jodhpur. The bodies of two pilots and two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were charred beyond recognition.

"The helicopter went to Gandhinagar in the morning and took off from there for Jodhpur around 2.20pm. It was scheduled to reach Jodhpur at 4.20pm. However, the chopper lost contact with the air traffic control and was not traceable on the radar," RC Dhyani, deputy inspector general of police, said.

The helicopter is suspected to have crashed into a hill, but an inquiry has been ordered to determine the exact reason behind the accident.

The accident comes after a helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on April 30, killing chief minister Dorjee Khandu along with four others. The wreckage was found on May 4.

On April 21, four military personnel died after their helicopter crashed in the northeastern Indian state of West Bengal. Two days before, 17 people were killed after a helicopter crashed while attempting to land at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

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