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, 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. ''On February 24, 2026, PHL Dauphin N3 helicopter (VT PHY) took off from Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) at around 8.30 am for a passenger flight from Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) to Rangat and further to Mayabunder. ''The helicopter landed at Rangat helipad around 9.05 am. It further took off from Rangat to Mayabunder at around 9.10 am. The helicopter ditched about 300 metres short of Mayabunder helipad in the sea (shallow water) at around 9.30 am,'' Pawan Hans Ltd, a central public sector undertaking based in Noida, said on X. Five passengers and two crew members were on board. ''All passengers and crew (members) have been safely retrieved. PHL is actively coordinating with all respective agencies,'' the helicopter operator said. Civil Aviation Director Nitesh Rawat said, ''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 and Middle Andaman Deputy Commissioner Sushant Padha said the rescue team, the police, forest personnel and the Coast Guard acted promptly and rescued all seven people. ''Those who were travelling in the helicopter are identified as Rajita Devi, Kamala Chandra Das, Shipra Saha, Nambi Amma, and two pilots, Captain Anil Janu and Captain TPS Gulia. A child is yet to be identified. 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 the crew members from mid-sea. ''We are assessing the ground situation, and our priority is to provide assistance to the injured ones,'' he said.