Itanagar/Guwahati : Two Army pilots were killed Thursday morning after their Cheetah helicopter went down near Mandala in the West Kameng region of Arunachal Pradesh, according to a defence spokeswoman.
He revealed the names of the two fallen officers as Lieutenant Colonel VVB Reddy and Major Jayanth A.
The helicopter was reportedly travelling from Missamari in Assam's Sonitpur district to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh when it crashed, according to Lt. Colonel Mahendra Rawat, a defence spokeswoman based in Guwahati.
He claimed that "inconducive weather" contributed to the tragedy as the plane returned to Missamari.
Air traffic control (ATC) was unable to reach the chopper after 9:15 a.m. Within moments, five separate search parties were dispatched by the Indian Army, SSB, and ITBP. Rawat stated that the plane's remains had been discovered near the Mandalean community of Banglajaap East.
Moreover, "a Court of Investigation is ordered to investigate the reason of the catastrophMajor Jayanth A Major Jayanth A e," he said.
SIC Superintendent Rohit Rajbir Singh claimed that locals in Dirang had discovered the downed helicopter burning and notified authorities.
"Bangjalep at Dirang villagers spotted the helicopter at 12:30," Singh said.
The weather is extremely foggy, with visibility as low as five metres, and there is no cell coverage in the area, he said.—Inputs from Agencies
