New Delhi: Five military personnel were killed and one critically wounded when an Indian Air Force helicopter crashed at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh this morning. a senior IAF official said.
The crash of the Mi-17 V5 took place at around 6 am when it was on a maintenance mission, the official said.
The official said five personnel on board the chopper were killed while one person received serious injuries.
“A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the official said.
Rescue teams reached the crash site in Tawang near the Indo-China border and admitted the injured personnel to a local hospital.
The Russian made Mi-17 V5 chopper is the backbone of the Air Force and 48 more have been requisitioned.
Over 150 such helicopters are already in service.
The Mi-17 can carry a substantial payload to higher altitudes and has a very powerful engine.
(With inputs from PTI)