Missing Army helicoper wreckage found in Sikkim, 4 dead

Siliguri, Apr 22 : The wreckages of the Advanced Light Helicopter, which went missing yesterday with two pilots and as many soldiers on board near China border, was found in Sikkim today with all four occupants dead, Army sources said.
ALH Dhruv took off on a routine sortie from 66 Brigade Sevoke Road, Salugara base near Siliguri at around 0930 hrs 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.

The chopper lost radio contact at around 1045 hrs due to bad weather over Shivmandir area near Yumesamdong in north Sikkim near the Chinese border in the valley yesterday, Army sources said.

The accident happened just two days after a Pawanhans crashed at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, killing 17 people.

Dhruv is an indigenously-developed helicopter inducted in the Army only recently.

The Army ordered an inquiry into the mishap.

--UNI