Coast Guard Helicopter Crash: 2 Bodies Found, Search For Third Crew Member Continues

The helicopter crashed on its way to evacuate an injured crew member off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat.

Two bodies have been recovered on Wednesday after an Indian Coast Guard Advance Light Helicopter crashed and sunk into the Arabian Sea. Three crew members went missing after after the helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing manoeuvre at sea, during which it crashed. 

The bodies of Commandant Vipin Babu and P/NVK Karan Singh, have been recovered, said  Porbandar Coast Guard DIG Pankaj Agarwal. Search operations for Commandant Rakesh Kumar Rana are still underway, he added, reported ANI.

The chopper took off on Monday at around 11 pm to evacuate an injured crew member from MT Hari Leela off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat.

Following the crash, one crew member was rescued and three members went missing. The Coast Guard had deployed four ships and two aircraft for the search and 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.

The Indian Coast Guard issued a statement saying the helicopter with four crew members 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," the statement read. 

Heavy rain in the state has triggered flood-like situation in many regions. The Indian Coast Guard is also conducting rescue operations in Porbandar and Dwarka. More than 33 people have been rescued by Coast Guard personnel from the two regions. The Coast Guard has rescued a total of more than 60 people amid strong winds and torrential rain.