KOLKATA: An Indian Army Cheetah helicopter crashed in Bhutan on Friday afternoon killing both pilots.
The deceased were Lt Col Rajneesh Parmar of Indian Army and Capt Kalzang Wangdi of Royal Bhutan Army.
According to defence sources, the helicopter crashed at around 1 pm near Yonphullla in Bhutan.
“The helicopter went out of radio and visual contact soon after 1 pm. It was on way from Khirmu in Arunachal Pradesh to Yongfulla on duty,” Shillong-based defence spokesman Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said.
“Ground SAR (search and rescue) was launched immediately from Yongfulla. The wreckage has been located. SAR by IAF and Army helicopters were also launched from Misamari, Guwahati and Hashimara,” he said.
The Indian Army undertakes the training of pilots as part of the Indian Army training team.