Army helicopter crash-lands in Udhampur, both pilots succumb to injuries

Two pilots were killed on Tuesday when an Army helicopter crash-landed on a hill in Shiv Garh Dhar area, near Patnitop tourist resort in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials familiar with the matter said.

The incident took place at around11 am when the chopper, a Cheetah, was on a routine training sortie. The two pilots — Major Rohit Kumar and Major Anuj Rajput — were critically injured and rushed to the nearest medical facility where they succumbed later, the officials added.

“Today, during a training sortie in Patnitop area, Indian Army’s Cheetah Helicopter crash landed in Shiv Garh Dhar area in Udhampur district. Two pilots were injured and evacuated to the hospital but they could not survive,” defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said,