PATNA: A major air crash incident was averted when an Indian Airforce helicopter carrying food relief material for flood victims had to make a precautionary landing near Nayagaon village under Aurai block in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district on Wednesday.
The pilot and four other crew members are stated to be safe. They have been rescued by the state disaster response force (SDRF) with the help of local residents and admitted to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) for treatment.
Additional chief secretary of the State Disaster Management Department Pratyaya Amrit said that the pilot had to make an emergency landing as the engine of the chopper developed some technical snag. “The pilot’s presence of mind averted the incident,” he added.
The chopper carrying food packets for the flood victims took off from Sitamarhi and was to drop the relief material at different locations where flood victims have taken shelter after floodwater inundated their houses.
Muzaffarpur district magistrate Subrat Sen said that senior officials rushed to the site and the pilot and Airforce personnel who suffered minor injuries in the incident have been admitted to the SKMCH for treatment. He also added that the pilot has suffered injuries in his backbone during the precautionary landing of the chopper.
Meanwhile, the Bihar government has announced to reward the SDRF personnel for showing their exemplary courage and safe rescue of the Air Force pilot and its jawans. A police team is camping at the site. Several districts, including Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, East Champaran, West Champaran and Darbhanga are worst hit by floods.
Pratyaya Amrit said that the Indian Airforce has assured the Bihar government to send another chopper to continue the sortie operation for the flood victims. The relief material is being airdropped by the chopper in flood-affected districts.
Earlier on Wednesday, two pilots and an engineer were killed after a helicopter crashed and caught fire in Maharashtra's Pune district .
The helicopter belonging to the Delhi-based Heritage Aviation, a private firm, took off from the Oxford County Golf Course helipad in Pune and was heading to Juhu in Mumbai when it crashed at 7.40 am.
Primary information suggested that fog in the area led to the accident of the helicopter.