Two Army Pilots Dead After Helicopter Crash In J&K

Jammu: Two pilots were killed when an Army helicopter crash-landed in a dense forest near Patnitop in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Tuesday.  “Today, during a training sortie in Patnitop area, Indian Army’s Cheetah helicopter crash-landed in Shiv Garh Dhar area in the district,” a Jammu-based defence spokesman said.

Two pilots, Major Rohit Kumar and Major Anuj Rajput succumbed to their injuries after being taken to hospital.

Army Commander, Northern Command, Lt Gen Y K Joshi paid rich tributes to the slain officers.

“Army Commander, Northern Command, and all other ranks salute the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty on 21 September 2021 at Patnitop and offer deepest condolences to their families,” the Army’s Northern Command said in a tweet.

The incident reportedly occurred between 10.30 am to 10.45 am when the chopper was caught in bad weather, officials said, adding the helicopter belonged to the Army Aviation Corps. There was a thick fog over Patnitop when the incident occurred, The New Indian Express reported quoting officials.

Local residents were the first to reach the site and they pulled out the pilots from the severely damaged helicopter, they added. Police, along with the Army, rushed to the scene to join the rescue operation and evacuated the injured pilots to a hospital, the officials said.