Soldier from Sircilla dies in a helicopter crash in Jammu & Kashmir

HYDERABAD: Soldier in Indian army Pabballa Anil, 30, belonging to Malkapur in Boinapally mandal of Rajanna Sircilla district died in a helicopter crash on Thursday.

As many as three defence personnel — a pilot, a copilot and a technician (Anil) — were aboard the Army helicopter when it crashed at Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir.

The chopper crashed on the banks of River Marwah.

Army has reported that an a helicopter crashed during a mission in the forest area of Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir due to a technical fault.

Sadly, the incident resulted in the death of technician Pabballa Anil, and injuries to the two pilots on board.

The helicopter involved was an advanced light helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, which made a hard landing on the banks of a river in the Marwah area, an area that was cut off from the district headquarters due to heavy snow.

The injured pilots were taken to a hospital, and the Northern Command of the Indian Army paid tribute to Technician Anil and ordered a court of inquiry into the incident. This marks the fifth occurrence of Army helicopter crashes in Jammu and Kashmir since 2021.

Udhampur-based Northern Command said in a statement: “At about 1115 hours on 04 May 2023, an Army Aviation ALH Dhruv helicopter on an operational mission made a precautionary landing on the banks of Marua river in the Kishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir."

According to the statement, the pilots notified the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) of a technical issue and then proceeded to make a precautionary landing.

"Due to the undulating ground, undergrowth and unprepared landing area, the helicopter apparently made a hard landing. Immediate rescue operations were launched and Army rescue teams reached the site," the statement said.

The Army stated that the injured individuals were transported to the command hospital in Udhampur. Sadly, Craftsman Pabballa Anil, the technician, succumbed to his injuries. General Officer Commanding-in-chief of the Northern Command Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi paid tributes to the technician.

"#LtGenUpendraDwivedi, #ArmyCdrNC & All Ranks #NorthernCommand offer tribute to supreme sacrifice of CFN (Avn Tech) Pabballa Anil, in the line of duty during operational flying of ALH MK III near #Kishtwar #JammuKashmir & offer deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” the Army's Northern Command tweeted.

Local people in the area of the incident rushed to the site and provided assistance in rescuing the injured men. Several videos were shared on social media depicting locals who spoke the Kashmiri language comforting the injured individuals as they awaited transportation to a hospital.

These heart-rending videos went viral on social media platforms.