Mumbai: Pilot dead, 2 missing after coast guard chopper crash

One crew member has been confirmed dead. Representation pic

The pilot of an Indian Coast Guard helicopter has been declared dead, with two crew members still missing and one recovered after the helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast on the night of September 2-3. There were four people onboard; one crew member has been confirmed dead, another has been recovered, and a search operation is underway for the missing crew members.

"The ALH helicopter was launched at 11.00 pm on Monday to evacuate an injured crew member from the Motor Tanker Hari Leela, approximately 45 km off Porbandar. The helicopter had to make an emergency landing and ditched into the sea. One crew member was recovered, while the captain was declared dead," a coast guard source said.

The deceased pilot has been identified as Vipin Babu, 39, a senior deputy commandant from the Alappuzha district of Kerala, the source disclosed. Some local Gujarat media reports suggest that the co-pilot also died in the crash, but this has not been officially confirmed by the Indian Coast Guard. Meanwhile, the search for the remaining missing crew members continues.

"One crew member was recovered; the search for the remaining three crew members is in progress," the ICG said in a statement on X on Tuesday morning. The coast guard also confirmed that the wreckage of the helicopter had been found. "The cause of the emergency landing is yet unknown, and an investigation will be initiated soon," the source added.