Jammu, Sep 21 (KNO): Two pilots died after an army helicopter crashed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Tuesday.
Officials told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that a pilot and the co-pilot were seriously injured after an Army helicopter ‘Cheetah’ crashed in Shiv Garh area of Patnitop in Udhampur district.
“Both the pilot and the co-pilot of the Cheetah helicopter that crashed at Shivgarh Dhar area of Udhampur district, succumbed at the army hospital,” a defence official told KNO.
Defence Spokesman in Jammu, Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said: “On Sep 21, during an operational area clearance sortie in Patnitop area, Major Rohit Kumar and Major Anuj Rajput met with an accident while manoeuvring the helicopter they were flying. During the crash landing of helicopter, both Pilots suffered grave injuries. They were immediately evacuated to Command Hospital Udhampur, however the officers succumbed to their injuries.”
He said that Major Rohit Kumar, 35, and Major Anuj Rajput, 28 were brave officers who made the supreme sacrifice in line of duty.
“The Indian Army will always remain indebted to their supreme sacrifice and offer deepest condolences to their family,” the spokesman said..
Meanwhile Lt Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi, Northern army commander and all ranks salute the bravehearts Major Rohit Kumar and Major Anuj Rajput who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty at Patnitop and offered deepest condolences to their families.
Pertinently, today’s incident is the second in less than two months. Earlier, on August 3, an ALH Dhruv helicopter of the Indian Army crashed into Ranjit Sagar Lake in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua. The Weapon System Integrated (WSI) helicopter had taken off from Pathankot (Punjab) and met with the accident during a routine sortie.
Capitan Jayant Joshi (27), co-pilot of the ill-fated Rudra attack chopper of the 254 Army aviation squadron of Mamun Cantt in Pathankot is still missing, which crashed into Ranjit Sagar lake in Jammu and Kashmir.
The body of another pilot and Amritsar native Lt Col Abheet Singh Batth was recovered from the reservoir on August 15 as it was lying a few meters away from the chopper wreckage—(KNO)