Army helicopter crashes into Ranjit Sagar Dam in Pathankot; both pilots missing

Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Pathankot, August 3

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An Army helicopter crashed in the Ranjit Sagar Dam lake in Pathankot at 10.35 am on Tuesday.

The pilot and the co-pilot are missing. Divers of the dam have been pressed into action to look for them.

The chopper belonged to the 254  Army Aviation Squadron and had taken off from Mamun cantonment 10 minutes before it came down. Officials say it was carrying out low-level sorties when it lost control.

The exact cause of the crash is being ascertained by experts from the Army. Officials claim prima facie it appeared that the chopper developed a technical snag while flying over the lake following which the engine seized. “The chopper came down and crashed into the water with a loud thud,” said a tourist.

Deputy Commissioner Sanyam Aggarwal said he was apprised about the situation.

Scores of tourists who were visiting the dam saw the wobbly chopper coming down into the lake.

DC Aggarwal said that he had dispatched a team of senior administrative officials led by the District Revenue Officer (DRO) to the spot.

Dam Chief Engineer Ram Darshan said his officials were working with the Army to know the exact cause of the crash.

SSP Surendra Lamba was among the first to reach the spot.