Three Coast Guard crew missing after helicopter crashes off Gujarat coast

One crew member was rescued, but three are still missing after the helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off Porbandar on Monday, while on a rescue mission

Three crew members went missing after an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat on Monday night. The incident occurred while the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) was on a rescue mission to evacuate an injured crew member from a tanker near Porbandar. During the operation, the helicopter attempted an emergency hard landing, but ended up crashing into the sea.

One of the four crew members was rescued, but three remain missing.

The ICG said that it has deployed four ships and two aircraft to search for the missing crew members.  Aircraft wreckage has also been located, the officials said.

How did the helicopter crash into the sea?

While one of the four crew members on board the ICG's ALH was rescued, a search operation was on for three others. The helicopter was dispatched at 11 pm on Monday to perform a medical evacuation for a seriously injured crew member on the Indian-flagged Motor Tanker Hari Leela, located about 45 kilometres offshore from Porbandar.

"On 02 Sep 2024, India Coast Guard ALH helicopter was launched at 2300 hrs to evacuate an injured crew member from the Motor Tanker Hari Leela off Porbandar, Gujarat. The helicopter had to make an emergency hard landing and ditched into the sea. One crew member recovered, search for the remaining three crew members is in progress," the ICG said in the statement posted on X (formerly Twitter). 

The ALH-DHRUV is an indigenously developed utility aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It features twin engines and is designed for multiple roles and missions. During the recent cyclonic storm in Gujarat, the aircraft was involved in rescuing at least 67 people.

(With agency inputs)