ONGC chopper falls into sea; 4 dead

The helicopter managed to stay afloat with the help of the attached floaters for some time. Pic/Coast Guard

Four persons, including 3 ONGC employees, died when a Pawan Hans helicopter with two pilots and seven others onboard fell into the Arabian Sea about 50 nautical miles from the Mumbai coast, a senior ONGC official confirmed.

The helicopter managed to stay afloat with the help of the attached floaters for some time, helping rescuers pull out all the nine people, a company official said.

Four of them were unconscious and were airlifted in a Navy copper to a hospital in Mumbai, where they were declared dead, he added.

(With inputs from PTI)