IAF chopper with three on board goes missing in Arunachal Pradesh, search operation begins

An Indian Air Force (IAF)’s helicopter with three on board went missing on Tuesday near Sagalee in the Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh, according to defence sources. The Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) was on a flood relief mission. It took off from the Tezpur airbase around 3.30 pm, sources said and lost contact with ATC around 4 pm, according to TV reports. A search and rescue operation has been launched. Identities of people on board the chopper are yet to be disclosed. The chopper was evacuating people, stranded at Sagalee due to landslides, triggered by rains. Sources at the chief minister’s office in Itanagar said Chief Minister Pema Khandu was monitoring the situation. Directives have been issued to the administration and the police to extend all possible help in the search and rescue operation. The villagers have also asked to help the administration in locating the missing chopper, the sources said. Few hours before this incident, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju escaped unhurt when his chopper made an emergency landing on a small field due to bad weather in Itanagar. Tweeting about the incident, Minister of State Home Kiren Rijiju said,

Weather is turbulent in North-East. I'm safe but whole State machinery is geared up to locate IAF ALH chopper missing almost at same time.

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) July 4, 2017

He further wrote

With inputs from PTI