Military helicopter crashes in eastern India, killing 3

[News_Editor]

Military helicopter crashes in eastern India, killing 3

2011-10-20 19:42:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- A helicopter belonging to India's Border Security Force (BSF) crashed near the Ranchi-Khunti border on Wednesday, killing three people, the Times of India reported on Thursday.

The chopper crashed about 20 minutes after taking off from Birsa Munda airport in Ranchi in the eastern state of Jharkhand, killing the pilot, co-pilot and a technical staff member of the BSF. Jharkhand Police spokesperson Mallik said the chopper crashed due to some technical fault.

Mallik also ruled out the possibility of a Maoist attack since the aircraft was flying at around 3,500 to 4,000 feet (1,066 to 1,219 meters) above the ground. "The chopper was at such a height that it could not be targeted by Maoists. It must have developed some technical snag and crashed in the jungles," he added.

In May, four people were killed when a paramilitary helicopter crashed in India's northwestern state of Rajasthan. The accident came after a helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on April 30, killing chief minister Dorjee Khandu along with four others.

On April 21, four military personnel died after their helicopter crashed in the northeastern 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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