Coast Guard chopper crash: Bodies of 2 crew members found

Of the three crew members who went missing after an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off Gujarat coast, the bodies of its pilot and a diver have been recovered while search for the third one is still on, officials said on Wednesday.

The bodies of Commandant Vipin Babu and diver Karan Singh were recovered on Tuesday night while search is still on to trace another pilot, Rakesh Rana, said Coast Guard spokesperson Amit Uniyal.

"Of the four crew members on board the ICG's advanced light helicopter (ALH), diver Gautam Kumar was rescued soon after the incident while a search was on for three others - one pilot and two divers. On Tuesday night, the bodies of pilot Vipin Babu and diver Karan Singh were recovered," he said.

"Another pilot, Rakesh Rana, is still missing. We have deployed four ships and an aircraft to locate him. Wreckage of the helicopter has been found," he added.

The incident occurred on Monday night after the ICG launched an operation around 11 to evacuate an injured crew member on board a tanker which was sailing close to Porbandar.

Meanwhile, Navi Bandar police station of Porbandar on Tuesday night filed an accidental death report after the recovery of two bodies from the sea.

As per the report, the Coast Guard helicopter carrying four crew members crashed into the sea nearly 30 nautical miles from the coast due to unknown reasons during a medical emergency rescue mission mid-sea.

It added that two persons have died while the rescued crew member Gautam Kumar is currently admitted to a hospital.