Three, including two pilots, killed as Indian Coast Guard chopper crashes in Gujarat’s Porbandar

Three people, including two pilots, were reportedly killed after an Indian Coast Guard crashed in Porbandar, Gujarat, on Sunday. The incident happened around 12.10 pm during a routine training sortie, Porbandar Superintendent of Police Bhagirathsinh Jadeja said.

"An Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv crashed today in Porbandar, Gujarat during a routine training sortie," Indian Coast Guard Officials told news agency ANI.

The ICG's Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), which was returning from a routine sortie, crashed while trying to land on the runway of the Coast Guard airport. The chopper crashed near the runway and caught fire. The blaze was later brought under control with the help of a fire tender.

"As per inputs, there were three personnel including two pilots in the chopper. All three have lost their lives in the incident," the official said.

"The three crew members were brought out of the chopper and rushed to a hospital in Porbandar in a severely burnt condition," Jadeja told news agency PTI.

Kamala Baug police station's inspector Rajesh Kanmiya said all the three crew members died at the hospital.

ICG later shared a press release confirming the mishap. 

“ICG ALH MK-III helicopter CG 859 met with a mishap at Porbandar Airport Runway at about 1215 hrs on 5 Jan 25. The ICG helicopter had 2 Pilots and 1 Air Crew Diver at the time of the incident and was on a routine training sortie. Immediately, post-incident, the crew were recovered and shifted to Government Hospital Porbandar, where they were declared brought dead. The reasons leading to the incident are being investigated by a Board of Inquiry”, it read. 

The incident comes four months after the ICG's ALH MK-III helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off Porbandar on September 2 last year, killing three crew members. The bodies of its pilot and a diver were recovered soon after the incident, while the body of the third crew member was found after more than a month.

(With agency inputs)