Wreckage of missing ALH, bodies of personnel recovered in Arunachal

The wreckage of the Indian Air Force helicopter that crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday and the bodies of three personnel who were on board the chopper have been recovered, the IAF said on Thursday.

A defence statement said Arunachal Pradesh Police team spotted the wreckage of the helicopter on Wednesday evening during the search by joint rescue teams of Army, the National Disaster Response Force, police and the Indian Air Force.

On Thursday morning, rescue parties comprising IAF's Garud commandos and a medical team, Army, NDRF were able to reach the crash site along with the Arunachal Pradesh Police team that had sighted the wreckage.

"The bodies of three personnel have been recovered so far. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident," the IAF said.

The Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) of the IAF engaged in flood rescue mission in the state went missing at 3.50 p.m. on Tuesday after it took off from Pilputu Helipad near Sagalee for the Naharlagun heliport.

The helicopter was evacuating people stranded in Sagalee and Dambuk due to massive landslides caused by heavy rains.

--IANS

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