Srinagar, Feb 27: Six personnel onboard an Indian military chopper and a civilian were killed on Wednesday when the aircraft crashed in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
The aircraft crashed in an open field near Garend Kalan village in Budgam at 10:05 am, officials said. It broke into two and caught fire immediately, senior officials said.
Senior defence officials said the aircraft, an Mi-17 chopper, crashed after developing a technical snag.
One of the deceased persons has been identified as Kifayat Ahmad Ganaie (30) son of Mohammad Ramzan Ganie a local resident, while the identity of the six IAF personnel is still being ascertained, they said.
The civilian, according to eyewitnesses, rushed towards the crash site to save people on board when it blasted again killing him on spot.
Locals said that they heard a loud bang and when they looked around the aircraft was in flames. “We rushed towards spot and found charred bodies. A little while after the crash, a civilian lost his life after there was another blast,” they said.
Witnesses added that hundreds of people gathered around the crash site prompting soldiers to fire some shots in air to dispel them.
A police official while confirming the death of seven persons including a civilian said that two of the deceased were pilots, two generator operators and two crew members. He said a case has been registered and investigation started.
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