A private helicopter carrying spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar, three passengers and two crew members, made an emergency landing on Wednesday morning in Ukkiniyam tribal hamlet in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode district due to inclement weather.
Ravishankar, who is the founder of Art of Living Foundation, was on his way from Bengaluru to Tiruppur to attend an event. The chopper made an emergency landing at the Government Primary School premises in Ukkiniyam village in Kadambur hills in the STR at around 9.45 am after it couldn’t proceed towards its destination due to bad weather.
“The chopper landed safely,” a police officer told DH, adding that the helicopter took off from the school premises at 11.05 am towards Tiruppur.
The officer said the chopper had four passengers and two crew members. Sri Sri Ravishankar and three of his staff members were the passengers. “The spiritual guru interacted with people who gathered at the school premises after hearing the sound of an helicopter. The chopper took off after the pilots got necessary clearance to fly,” the officer added.
This is the second time in a year that a chopper from Bengaluru has made an emergency landing near Kadambur hills. A chopper from Karnataka to Kerala landed at a farm land in Kadambur hills in January 2022 due to inclement weather. It took three hours later.
Published 25 January 2023, 07:21 IST