Sikkim Army helicopter with two pilots, two soldiers missing in Sikkim

Siliguri, Apr 21 : An army helicopter with two pilots and two soldiers on board went missing during a routine training exercise while flying over Shivmandir area above Yumesamdong in north Sikkim near the Chinese border today, army sources said.
The Advanced Light Helicopter ALH DHRUV with pilots Lt Jepa and Lt Col Bhatia of the Indian Air Force and soldiers Naib Subedar Rana and Naik Panth of 8 Gorkha Rifles on board had taken off from 66 Brigade Sevoke Road, Salugara base near Siliguri at around 0930 IST lost radio contact at around 1045 IST due to bad weather over Shivmandir area in the valley, army sources said
The chopper went down about 15,000 feet above ground near the Yumisamdong area which is now under a thick blanket of snow and covered with dense forest.
The army launched a massive search operation but after about five hours, the search was postponed due to inclement weather, they conformed.
Three army choppers could not fly beyond Yumesamdong due to inclement weather thereby stalling rescue operations. In view of the heavy snow in the area and inaccessible terrain, the aerial search is the only option to trace the chopper, the sources said.

Dhruv is an indigenously-developed helicopter inducted in the army only recently. The sources ruled out the possibility of the chopper being shot down since international border rules are always maintained by both sides.

--UNI