At least three persons, including two pilots and an aircraft engineer, were feared killed after a helicopter flying over the Bavdhan area in Pune crashed in the hilly terrain, officials said here on Wednesday.
The chopper had taken from Oxford Golf Club for a flight to Juhu Airport in Mumbai and is believed to have crashed around 7.50 a.m., barely three to four minutes after it was airborne, and the region had a thick fog, said a police officer speaking from the site of the tragedy.
This is the second incident of its kind in the Pune hills after a private helicopter on a Mumbai-Hyderabad flight crashed in the region on August 24, injuring four, and before that, on May 3, a helicopter flying to pick up Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare had crashed near a helipad in Raigad.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Minister Chandrakant Patil said that as per preliminary information, the crash may have occurred owing to some technical snag and suspected poor visibility, which will be probed.
As per certain unverified reports, the ruling Nationalist Congress Party state President Sunil Tatkare was planning to take a flight on the same ill-fated chopper. It was flying to Mumbai to pick up Tatkare for a flight in the day, after flying to certain places in Beed on Tuesday.
An official said that the police control was informed of the tragedy by a caller and immediately a team was set up, including the local fire brigade, which rushed to the crash spot, in a hilly and densely forested area of the ghats.
The police also informed the local aviation authorities and a team of experts is rushing from Mumbai for a probe into the tragedy.
The Hinjewadi Police Station along with aviation officials are coordinating to assess the situation and other details, including the identity of the victims, shifting their bodies for autopsy, etc.
More details are awaited.
Tripura court sentences two brothers to 20 years imprisonment for raping minor
A court in Tripura's North district on Tuesday sentenced two brothers to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment after convicting them of raping a minor school girl in 2022
UP sets new benchmark in Veergatha Project 4.0 with over 45 lakh nominations
Uttar Pradesh has achieved the top spot in the Veergatha Project 4.0 and surpassed all other states with an impressive 45.2 lakh student nominations. This achievement sets a new benchmark in promoting respect for bravery and encouraging creativity and motivation among students.
Centre releases Rs 78 Crores grant for Tripura, Grant will boost development in TTAADC: Pranajit
The Union Government has allocated ₹78 crores as part of the Fifteenth Finance Commission Grants for the financial year 2024–25, aimed at enhancing development work in the Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) of Tripura.
Firing on Nandan Kanan Express in Odisha, probe launched
At least around two rounds of bullets were fired on the guard brake of Nandan Kanan Express (train number 12816) between Bhadrak and Baudapur sections in Odisha on Tuesday.
JMM-Cong-RJD plotted to alter Jharkhand's demography via land jihad, love jihad: Yogi Adityanath
In a scathing attack on the JMM-Congress and RJD coalition government of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that the ruling government conspired to change the demography of the state through land jihad and love jihad.
Review meeting of Draft Tripura School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework held
Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday chaired a review meeting of draft Tripura School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (TSQAAF), held here at the Secretariat.
Tripura Tourism aims for new horizons: Sushanta
Following the 38th Board of Directors meeting of the Tripura Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (TTDCL), Minister Chowdhury emphasized the government’s commitment to bolstering the state’s tourism sector.
Terrorist killed during gunfight in J&K's Bandipora district
One unidentified terrorist was killed in a gunfight between the security forces and terrorists in J&K’s Bandipora district on Tuesday. Officials said that the terrorist was killed during an encounter between terrorists and the security forces in Ketsun forest in Bandipora district.