3 Killed in Guj Coast Guard ALH Crash

Three crew members were killed after a helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) crashed and caught fire at an airport on the outskirts of Porbandar city in Gujarat, police said.

- HT Correspondent

AHMEDABAD:

The incident took place around 12.15 pm when the ICG's Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), which was returning from a routine sortie, crashed while trying to land on the runway of the airport, Superintendent of Police Bhagirathsinh Jadeja told HT.

"The chopper caught fire and three crew members including two pilots and one diver could not survive," he said. The bodies have been sent for postmortem and investigation is on about the cause of the crash, said Jadeja. The identities of the deceased were not known yet, he added. The airport, located on the outskirts of the coastal town of Porbandar, is not operational for commercial flights and is used by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, according to Jadeja. A coast guard official confirmed the crash and said that an investigation into the crash is ongoing.

This incident follows a series of accidents involving the ALH Dhruv fleet, prompting previous safety inspections and upgrades. In September 2024, a similar helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar during a medical evacuation mission, leading to a temporary grounding of the fleet for safety checks. Three out of four crew members on board had died in the September incident.