Shruti Sneha, Pune
Police reported that a private helicopter crashed and caught fire near Oxford Helipad in Pune district, Maharashtra on Wednesday morning, resulting in the deaths of three individuals, two of whom were pilots.
The Pimpri Chinchwad Police reported that the incident took place in a hilly area of Bavdhan at approximately 6:45 AM. They further mentioned that at the moment, four fire tankers from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) are on site.
Chief Fire Officer Devendra Prabhakar Photpode reported to ANI that there was firethere was fire all around when he reached thereached the accident spot with his team. He said, “After arriving at the scene, my team saw that the helicopter had crashed, with its components scattered all over. We immediately dispatched four fire trucks and two rescue vehicles.” He further mentioned that three injured individuals were successfully rescued by the team and turned over to the authorities.
Initial reports indicated that the helicopter was owned by Heritage Aviation, located in Pune. The authorities stated that it was identified by the registration VT EVV. There were three individuals on the helicopter – Paramjit Singh and G K Pillai as the pilots, and Pritam Bharadwaj as the engineer.
While the precise reason for the accident is still unknown, authorities mentioned that heavy fog might have been a factor in the incident.
BJP Corporator Dilip Vedepatil shared that there were two captains and one engineer present on board. Moreover, he also shared that the helicopter crashed after flying for 1 km which led to three fatalities. Authorities are exploring a possibility to close the helipad to prevent future accidents. Sunil Tatkare, Maharashtra NCP leader, used this helipad for travel yesterday and returned last night. We have found that the helicopter was headed to Juhu, where he had been flown in yesterday.
In August, a helicopter owned by a private individual that was traveling from Mumbai to Hyderabad crashed in Paud village in Pune. The police reported a source confirmed that despite sustaining injuries, all four occupants of the vehicle survived the accident near the village.