Andamans: Helicopter carrying 7 crashes into sea, all rescued

A Pawan Hans helicopter carrying seven people, including two crew members, crashed into the sea after it took off from Rangat in the North and Middle Andaman district on Tuesday morning, and all of them were rescued, officials said. The accident occurred around 9.30 am, before its scheduled landing at Mayabunder in the district, they said. All five passengers and the two crew members, rescued from mid-sea, have been admitted to a hospital, one of the officials said. ''The helicopter crashed into the sea around 9.30 am. A preliminary inquiry revealed that there was some technical snag, and the pilot made a crash-landing on the sea,'' a senior Civil Aviation official said. An inquiry has been initiated, he said. ''The helicopter took off from Port Blair at around 8.30 am for Rangat. At 9.10 am, it took off for Mayabunder and was to land at 9.30 am. It, however, ditched into the sea 300 m short of the runway. There were five passengers on board and two crew members. All have been rescued and are safe,'' a Pawan Hans spokesperson told PTI. Pawan Hans Ltd is a central public sector undertaking based in Noida. A relief helicopter has been sent from Port Blair, he added. Civil Aviation Director Nitesh Rawat said, ''A total of seven people were onboard, including the pilot. All are safe, and we are yet to take the statement of the pilot. All injured persons are undergoing treatment at Dr Rajendra Prasad Hospital in Mayabunder. We are trying to bring the injured people to Sri Vijaya Puram.'' North & Middle Andaman Deputy Commissioner Sushant Padha said the rescue team, the police and Coast Guard acted promptly and rescued all seven people. ''Those who were travelling in the helicopter were Rajita Devi, Kamala Chandra Das, Shipra Saha, Nambi Amma, one infant and two pilots, Captain Anil Janu and Captain TPS Gulia. All are safe,'' he said. Andaman and Nicobar Islands DGP Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal commended the Police Marine Force for their quick response and rescuing all the passengers and pilots in the mid-sea. He said, ''We are assessing the ground situation, and our first priority is to provide assistance to the injured ones.''