Helicopter Ferrying Material For India-Funded Hydel Project Crashes In Nepal, 1 Killed

"A helicopter operated by Simrik Air crashed in Sankhuwasabha district of Nepal. Pilot safe. The helicopter was ferrying construction material for India Funded Arun-III Hydel project," officials stated.

A helicopter belonging to a private Nepalese helicopter service provider crashed in eastern Nepal on Friday, killing one person and injuring four others, including the pilot, according to official statement. The aircraft carrying building supplies crashed near the Bhotekhola River in the Sankhuwasabha district after colliding with a tree along the canal, news agency PTI reported.

"The crash happened on Friday afternoon and in the accident, three people, including the pilot of Simrik Air helicopter, were injured when the helicopter crashed near Bhotekhola river in Sankhuwasabha district," the source were quoted by PTI in its report.

He stated that the pilot, Surendra Pandey, and two passengers on board the helicopter were hurt, and that Pandey's condition is critical.

The two have been flown to Kathmandu for medical care.

The chopper was transporting building supplies for the Arun Three hydropower project from Kathmandu to the project site in Sankhuwasabha.

Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam in India is actively developing the 900 MW. The helicopter carried a total of five passengers. The helicopter crashed at 1.30 p.m. while attempting to land near Bhotekhola Rural Municipality in Siprung.

Earlier on Thursday, an Army advanced light helicopter (ALH) crashed in the remote Marwah area of Jammu and Kashmir's rugged Kishtwar district, killing a mechanic and wounding two pilots.

The deceased has been named as Craftsman (Avn Tech) Pabballa Anil by the Army.

The injured pilots was admitted to the Army’s Command Hospital in Udhampur.

Two pilots were killed in March of this year when an Army aviation Cheetah helicopter crashed while conducting an operational sortie near Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh.

In March 2022, the administration informed Parliament that 42 Indian armed services personnel had been killed in 45 aircraft and helicopter crashes in the previous five years.

A day after the tragedy, Army Commander Northern Command Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi paid tribute to CFN (Avn Tech) Pabballa Anil, who perished in the helicopter crash.

Pabballa Anil, CFN (Avn Tech), was on board an ALH Dhruv helicopter when it crashed in Kishtwar's Marwah district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday morning. The crash had wounded two pilots.

(With Inputs From Agencies)