Ranjit Sagar Dam crash: Indian Navy recovers two missing pilots from helicopter crash

Two Indian pilots who went missing on August 3 after their helicopter crashed into Ranjit Sagar Lake in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district have been safely recovered and are undergoing treatment. According to the Indian Navy officials, the search operation started early in the morning, and later in the day, they found the missing pilots. 

The Army Aviation ALH Dhruv helicopter met with an accident near the Ranjit Sagar Dam on Tuesday. It flew off from Punjab's Pathankot on a routine sortie. The Ranjit Sagar Dam lies on the border between Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. The dam was constructed by the Punjab government on the Ravi River. 

While speaking to ANI, RC Kotwal, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kathua, said, "An Indian Army helicopter crashed into Ranjit Sagar Dam, Kathua, today. Some of the floating material from the chopper was recovered. Specialized forces and divers are conducting rescue operations. Only after divers go into the lake will we know what exactly happened, "said the SSP.

ALH-DHRUV helicopter

The ALH Dhruv helicopter is a uniquely designed Weapon System Integrated helicopter that runs on a dual engine and can easily carry out multi-role and multi-missions. The weight of the helicopter is less than 6 tons and comes in skeed and wheeled versions. ALH Dhruv is certified by the central government for airworthiness and civil operations. The helicopter comes in various variants, such as Mk-I, Mk-II, Mk-III & Mk-IVDhruv Mk-ll. So far, over 200 Dhruv helicopters of multiple versions are operating in different sections of the Indian Defense Forces. The made-in-India helicopter is supplied to many countries, including Nepal, Mauritius, and the Maldives.

Similar incidents in the past

This is not the first time an army chopper has crashed. A similar incident occurred a few months ago, and an Army Aviation Helicopter crashed in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. Earlier on January 26, while the helicopter was returning from Pathankot, the pilots were forced to make a crash-landing in an Army area in Lakhanpur. One out of two pilots succumbed to injuries in the incident. The helicopter was identified as an Army Advanced Light Dhruv helicopter. And, on January 5, a MiG-21 chopper of the Indian air force crashed at night near Suratgarh in Rajasthan after an operational error. The pilot of the aircraft remained safe.

Image Credits: ANI, Inputs: ANI