21 Died In 4 Accidents Of Mi-17V5 In Last 5 Years, Defence Ministry Tells In LS
The 15 accidents of helicopters from the three services were seven from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force each, and one from the Navy.
New Delhi: As many as 21 people have lost their lives in the last five years involving four accidents of Mi-17V5, the Minister of State in Defence ministry Ajay Bhatt told in Lok Sabha today. As per the report submitted in the parliament today, a total of 15 accidents have taken place since 2017, reported news agency ANI.
In a written reply to a Lok Sabha query, Bhatt said, “Four accidents of Mi-17V5 helicopters of Indian Air Force (IAF) have taken place in the last five years including the one which took place on December 8… In these four accidents, a total of 21 people lost their lives.”
The accidents include the crash of December 8 which claimed 14 lives including that of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat. The previous three accidents of the Russian made Mi-17V5 took place in November 2021, April 2018, and October 2017. India has bought Mi-17V5 from Russia between 2011 and 2016.
The tri-service enquiry of General Rawat’s helicopter set up by the defence ministry is likely to be completed in the next two weeks. The helicopter which took off from the Sulur airbase on December 8, crashed a few minutes before landing at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington killing everyone onboard.
The previous three accidents of the Mi-17V5 killed seven people. The 15 accidents of helicopters from the three services were seven from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force each, and one from the Navy.
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