Three crew members were killed when an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) of the Indian Coast Guard crashed in Gujarat's Porbandar on Sunday.
The incident took place at 12.10 pm, Porbandar Superintendent of Police Bhagirathsinh Jadeja said. The ALH with three crew members onboard crashed during landing at the Porbandar airport, he said.
The three crew members were brought out of the chopper and rushed to a hospital in Porbandar in a severely burnt condition, he said.
All three died at the hospital, Kamala Baug police station's inspector Rajesh Kanmiya said.
The reason behind the crash is yet to be known and an inquiry has been launched.
The crash took place at the Air Enclave of the Indian Coast Guard and some people were also hurt in the crash.
The injured were rushed to the civil hospital where they are under treatment, sources said.
The Indian Coast Guard is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency, with jurisdiction in India's territorial waters.
Two years ago, a series of faults was identified in the ALH Dhruv chopper, which is operated by the Army, Navy and the Air Force.
Certain design and metallurgy issues in some components were identified. The scrutiny was carried out after accidents involving the platform that had forced the Army and the Indian Air Force to ground their fleets.
The choppers that were grounded resumed their operations following the completion of the safety audit.
The Indian Navy, the IAF, the Army and the Coast Guard have a total of over 325 ALH Dhruv helicopters and all of them underwent technical checks following the incidents of accidents in 2023.
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