J&K: 2 Army pilots killed in helicopter crash in Udhampur
Two Indian Army pilots were killed after their helicopter crashed near Patnitop in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir today. The pilots, who were critically injured after the crash, had been rescued by locals and rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead. Both the deceased were Major-rank officers. Here are more details on this.
Incident took place around 10:30 am
The incident took place around 10:30 am on Tuesday, officials said. Earlier in the day, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said they had rushed a team to the accident spot. The deceased officers have been identified as Major Rohit Kumar and Major Anuj Rajput. "Lt. Gen YK Joshi and all ranks salute the bravehearts," the Northern Command of the Indian Army tweeted.
Northern Command pays tribute to the officers
The crash happened during a training sortie, Army says
The tragic incident occurred during a training sortie, the Army said. "Indian Army Cheetah Helicopter crash-landed in the Shiv Garh Dhar area." Union Minister Jitendra Singh said he was "saddened" to receive the news. "Despite prompt and best possible aid, they could not be saved. My deep condolences to the bereaved families," he tweeted this afternoon.
In August, two pilots died after Army copter had crashed
Police said that excessive fog in the area had affected visibility, which may have led to the accident. This marks the second Army helicopter crash in Jammu and Kashmir in recent weeks. Last month, two pilots had died after an Army helicopter crashed into Ranjit Sagar dam. The body of one of the pilots is still missing.
