Indian Air Force chopper crashes in Arunachal Pradesh, 7 dead

Seven people, including five officers and 2 Army jawans, were onboard the Mil Mi-17 helicopter when the crash took place.

Representative image

Tawang: An Indian Air Force chopper crashed on Friday near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh killing all seven people onboard. Five IAF crew members and 2 Army jawans were onboard the Mil Mi-17 helicopter when the crash took place.  

The crash took place at around 6:30 am on Friday morning while it was on an Air Maintenance mission. 

Rescue teams were rushed to the crash site in Tawang near the Indo-China border and injured were admitted to a local hospital. 

The IAF has said that Court of Inquiry has been ordered. 

The crash site is located at some four-to-five hours drive from Tawang. "It is a forested area," Meena said adding that the bodies are being brought to the helipad near Tawang.

"We are told that there were no civilians and all were defence personnel," he said.

The Russian Mil Mi-17 helicopter has served as one of the mainstays of the Air Force's rotorcraft fleet. It is used in a wide range of terrains and operations, including relief and rescue missions. 

Tawang is in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is also claimed by China. It is a strategically important border district and came briefly under Chinese control during the 1962 war between the two neighbouring countries. 

The crash took place a day ahead of the Air Force Day which is extensively celebrated by the IAF.

Last week, a trainee IAF aircraft crashed in Keesara in Hyderabad. There were no casualties in that accident. The plane had broken into flames but all three onboard were ejected safely. There were three people, including the pilot, inside the flight when it crashed.