Indian Coast Guard Chopper Crashes, Sinks Off Porbandar Coast, 3 Personnel Missing

An Indian Coast Guard helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea while evacuating an injured crew member from a ship. One crew member was rescued, but three remain missing.

An Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter has crashed and sunk in the Arabian Sea. The chopper was launched on Monday around 11 PM to evacuate an injured crew member from MT Hari Leela off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat.

However, the helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing manoeuvre at sea, during which it crashed. One crew member has been rescued, while three crew members remain missing. The Coast Guard has deployed 4 ships and 2 aircraft for the search & rescue of the missing personnel.

"The helicopter had to make an emergency hard landing and ditched into the sea. One crew member has been recovered, search for the remaining three crew members is in progress," the Coast Guard said.

A statement issued by the Indian Coast Guard read, "The helicopter had a crew of 4 people. During the operation, the helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in the sea. One crew member was rescued and a search is on for the remaining three people. The wreckage of the helicopter has been recovered. The incident occurred when the helicopter was approaching the ship for evacuation."

Heavy rain has wreaked havoc in Gujarat. Due to this, flood-like conditions have been seen in many regions. The Indian Coast Guard is also conducting rescue operations in Porbandar and Dwarka. The Coast Guard has rescued more than 33 people were rescued by choppers from the two regions. Overall, the Coast Guard has rescued more than 60 people amid strong winds and torrential rain.