Three dead after Coast Guard helicopter crashes in India

MADRID Jan. 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Two pilots and a diver have died after an Indian Coast Guard helicopter crashed at Porbandar airport, in the Indian state of Gujarat.

“An ALH MK-III helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard suffered an accident on the runway of Porbandar airport, in Gujarat, at around 12:15 p.m. on January 5. The two pilots and the diver were carrying out a routine training sortie” , explained the Indian Ministry of Defense in a statement reported by Indian television NDTV.

The plane crashed and caught fire on the runway with the three soldiers, identified as Commander Saurabh, Deputy Commander SK Yadav and Manoj Pradhan Navik.

After the fire was extinguished, the three were extracted from the helicopter and taken to a hospital with serious burns, according to the Police. At the moment the possible cause of the accident has not been reported and an investigation has been opened into the matter.

The device is a new generation 5.5 ton twin engine ALH MK-III helicopter of Indian design and manufacture. In September three other soldiers died after a helicopter of the same model crashed in the Arabian Sea.