Five Indian soldiers dead in a chopper crash near China.
A chopper crash near the China border claims the lives of five Indian soldiers.
Prior to the collision, air traffic controllers had received a mayday call that might have indicated a technical or mechanical issue.
The defense ministry announced on Saturday that five Indian army troops had died in a chopper crash close to the disputed border with China. This is the second tragic accident to occur in the area this month.
The Advance Light Helicopter crashed on Friday south of Tuting, a small hamlet close to the Line of Actual Control, which separates China’s territory from northeastern India’s Arunachal Pradesh state.
According to a statement from the ministry, air traffic controllers had received a mayday contact prior to the crash that would have indicated a technical or mechanical issue.
According to the statement, rescuers had found four fatalities and were attempting to find the fifth and last person inside the chopper.
The Indian Army extended its “heartfelt condolences” and said it “stands firmly with the deceased families.”
The incident occurred a few weeks after an Indian army pilot was killed at Tawang, further east in the state while taking a routine trip in a Cheetah helicopter.
1962 saw a full-scale battle between China and India over Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims in its entirety and sees as a piece of Tibet.
Since a skirmish on their disputed Himalayan border in 2020 that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers, tensions between the two nations have been on the rise.
