According to Indian news agency ANI, an Indian army helicopter “made a hard landing” in India-occupied Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, wounding all three people aboard.
The three injured officials — two pilots and a technician — were transferred to the Command Hospital in IOK’s Udhampur, the Indian army said in a tweet.
“Due to the undulating ground, undergrowth, and unprepared landing area, the helicopter apparently made a hard landing,” the army was quoted as saying by ANI. It further stated that an investigation has been launched and that “further details are being ascertained.”
According to the source, an army aviation “ALH Dhruv helicopter on an operational mission made a precautionary landing on the banks of the Marua River in the Kishtwar region” around 11:15 a.m.
According to the News, the pilots reported a technical malfunction to the air traffic controller and proceeded to a cautious landing.
According to the army, swift rescue operations were begun, and army rescue personnel arrived on the scene.
In January of this year, two Indian Air Force fighter jets with three pilots collided in mid-air, killing one of them.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is wrestling with the serious job of modernizing India’s aging military forces.
Its military establishment is concerned about China’s growing assertiveness along its vast Himalayan border, which sparked a lingering diplomatic freeze in 2019 following a deadly high-altitude clash between troops from both countries.
India showcased its first locally built aircraft carrier last year as part of the government’s aim to establish an indigenous military sector and minimize reliance on Russia, the country’s traditionally largest arms supplier.
Last year, an effort to restructure military recruitment in order to reduce India’s bloated defence payroll was stymied by a backlash from prospective soldiers, who burnt train carriages and clashed with police in violent protests.
