3 Army officers die in copter crash
Tribune News Service
Kolkata, November 30
Three Army officers, including two belonging to Haryana and Jammu, were killed when their helicopter crashed at Sukna in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
Those killed were Major Sanjeev Lathar of Bhiwani, Haryana, Major Arvind Bazala of RS Pura, Jammu, the pilot and the co-pilot, respectively, and Lt Col Rajneesh Kumar of Farrukhabad district, Uttar Pradesh. The crash took place near the helipad of the Army's 33 Corp's headquarter at Sukna.
Sapper Dhamne Yogesh Bhaskar, the fourth passenger, was seriously injured in the mishap. The Cheetah helicopter was built by the Bangalore-headquartered Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under licence from the French manufacturer.
"The helicopter crashed while landing at Sukna Military Station around 11.30 am. The helicopter was coming in to land from a routine sortie. Three officers were fatally injured and one jawan was critically wounded in the accident. They were taken to Bengdubi Military Hospital," a press release issued by the Army said.
The three officers were declared brought dead, while the fourth was being treated in the hospital for serious injuries.
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered by the Army authorities to ascertain the cause of the incident.
“Saddened at the death of 3 Army officers in Sukna due to tragic chopper crash. Words are never enough. My condolences to bereaved families,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Twitter.
