Indian Coast Guard Helicopter Crashes During Rescue Operation off Gujarat Coast, Three Crew Members Missing

Three crew members are missing after an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat during a rescue operation, officials said on Tuesday. The ICJ said in a statement that the incident took place on Monday night.

It said that one of the four crew members on board the ICJ's Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) was rescued, but the search for the remaining three members is ongoing. The rescued person is said to be in stable condition.

The ICJ statement said, 'On September 2, the Indian Coast Guard's ALH helicopter took off at 11 pm to rescue an injured crew member from the motor tanker Hari Leela off the Porbandar coast of Gujarat. The helicopter had to make an emergency landing and fell into the sea.' 

It said, 'One crew member was rescued, but the search for the remaining three members is ongoing. The ICJ has deployed four ships and two aircraft for rescue efforts. The wreckage of the plane has been found. The incident occurred when the helicopter was approaching the vessel for evacuation.

Rescue operations have been carried out in various talukas of Porbandar and Dwarka districts of Gujarat. On the first day of the operation, the Indian Coast Guard helicopter rescued 33 people from a dangerous situation amid gusty winds and low visibility. On the second day, the Indian Coast Guard continued its efforts and rescued 28 more persons, taking the total number of rescued to 61.

In another incident, the National Disaster Response Force rescued 22 people trapped in flood waters in Chachlana village of Kalyanpur tehsil last week. Gujarat has been receiving heavy rains for the last few days, due to which many parts of Gujarat have been submerged and hundreds of residents have had to move to safer places due to severe floods.