Two pilots were killed after an army helicopter crashed into the hills near Patnitop in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir today.
Reports say that the army helicopter had to force-land inUdhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Visuals shared on social media showed the wrecked helicopter, a Cheetah, on a hillside and locals trying to pull out the pilots.
Officials said the pilots of the Army Aviation helicopter, both Majors, were critically injured.
Major Rohit Kumar and Major Anuj Rajput were pulled out of the chopper and taken to hospital.
“We shifted them to hospital but unfortunately both lost their lives,” a senior Army officer said.
Visuals shared on social media showed the mangled helicopter, a Cheetah, on a hillside and locals trying to pull out the pilots.
The incident took place around 10.30 am, officials said.
The Northern Command of the army on Twitter said that Major Rohit Kumar and Major Anuj Rajput “made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty on 21 Sept 2021 at Patnitop.”
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Twitter said he was “disturbed to receive the news of Army Helicopter crash around Patnitop region.”
This is the second army helicopter crash in the last seven weeks in Jammu and Kashmir. Last month two pilots were killed after an army helicopter crashed into the Ranjit Sagar dam. During that crash, the body of one fallen pilot is still missing.