Indian Army helicopter crashes in Bhutan, two dead

An Indian Army Cheetah helicopter with two occupants on Friday crashed in Bhutan, killing both.

On a training sortie, the chopper took off from Khirmu in Arunachal Pradesh for Yongfulla in Bhutan but crashed near the destination. The helicopter went out of radio and visual contact soon after 1 pm when the rotor-wing platform met with the accident.

“In an unfortunate incident, an Indian Army helicopter has crashed at 1 pm near Yongfulla in Bhutan. The single engine Cheetah helicopter was piloted by one Indian and one Royal Bhutan Army pilots. The wreckage has been located and there are no survivors,” Indian Army spokesperson Col Aman Anand said in a brief statement.

The two victims are Lt Col Rajneesh Parmar of Indian Army and Capt Kalzang Wangdi of Royal Bhutan Army. An investigation has been ordered to find out the cause.

India is the only country in the world to fly the ageing Cheetah and Chetak fleet, which are of 1960s vintage. The choppers were built by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited after it signed a license agreement with French state-owned Aerospatiale in 1970.

For decades, Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) is present in Bhutan to strengthen the defence of Bhutan. Raised in 1962, IMTRAT was given the task of training the Royal Bhutan Army personnel. It is the oldest training team sent out by India to a friendly foreign country.

“Indian army undertakes training of pilots also as part of the Indian Army training team,” Anand said.

Ground search and rescue operations were launched from Yongfulla as well as from Misamari, Guwahati and Hashimara from the Indian soil. Within minutes they found the crash.