Coast Guard helicopter crashes during rescue operation, three crew members missing

Ahmedabad: Three crew members are missing while one has been rescued after an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off Porbandar coast Monday night.

The ICG has launched a search operation during which one of the crew members was recovered while search for the missing three was on. The ICG helicopter had two pilots and two divers on board who were undertaking a rescue operation when the incident happened.

In a statement on X, ICG said that on Monday its "helicopter ALH (advanced light helicopter) was launched at 2300 hrs to evacuate an injured crew member from the Motor Tanker Hari Leela off Porbandar, Gujarat. The helicopter had to make an emergency hard landing and ditched into the sea. One crew member recovered, search for the remaining three crew members is in progress. ICG has deployed 04 ships & 02 aircraft for rescue efforts."

On Tuesday, the ICG further said that the incident occurred when the helicopter approached the vessel for evacuation. Four ships, Dornier aircraft and ALH helicopters searching for the missing crew members.

It said that the ill-fated ICG helicopter had saved 67 lives during recent inclement weather in Gujarat.