Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], March 16 : Two pilots were on board the Indian Army Aviation Cheetah helicopter that crashed near the Mandala hills area in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, officials said.
The search and rescue teams of the Indian Army, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and police have already left for the spot.
Public Relations Officer (PRO), Defence Guwahati Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said Army's Cheetah helicopter, on an operational sortie, was reported to have lost contact with the Air Traffic Controller at around 9:15 am on Thursday. It was reported to have crashed near Mandala, West of Bomdila. Search parties have been launched, he informed.
According to Arunachal Pradesh Police, an Army chopper lost contact midway and could not be located while it was en route to Missamari from Senge village. At around 12:30 pm villagers from Bangjalep under Dirang police station informed that a crashed chopper was found
"As of now, no photos are available as the area has no signal. Weather today is extremely foggy and visibility is 5 meters," said police.
Search operations for the pilots are underway. Further details are awaited.
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