Two pilots died after a Chhattisgarh government helicopter crashed in Raipur late on Thursday. The two pilots onboard the chopper were seriously injured in the crash and immediately taken to a nearby private hospital where they were declared dead, said the SSP.
The incident took place during a flying practice at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur under Mana police station limits at around 9:10 pm, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prashant Agrawal.
The deceased were identified as Captian Gopal Krishna Panda and Captain A P Shrivastava, said the police officer. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel took to Twitter to offer condolence. He tweeted: “Just got a sad news about a state helicopter crashing at the airport in Raipur. In this tragic accident, both our pilots Captain Panda and Captain Srivastava sadly passed away. May God give strength to his family members and peace to the departed soul in this time of grief.”
