Indian Army's Cheetah helicopter crashes in Arunachal's Tawang; pilot killed

A pilot lost his life after a Cheetah helicopter of the Indian Army crashed near the Tawang area of Arunachal Pradesh today (Image: ANI/Twitter)

A Cheetah helicopter of the Indian Army crashed in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh near the boundary with China on Wednesday morning, killing one of the two pilots onboard, according to Indian Army officials who were quoted by news agency PTI.

The incident happened around 10 am during a routine sortie in a forward area, according to defence spokesperson Col AS Walia. The two pilots on board Army helicopter were rushed to the nearest military hospital.

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One of the pilots who was critically wounded - Lt Col Saurabh Yadav, succumbed to the injuries during treatment. The other pilot is undergoing treatment, according to Col Walia. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

In December 2021, former Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat died in Air Force's Mi-17 V5 chopper crash in Tamil Nadu. Apart from him, his wife and 12 others also died in the crash.