Jalandhar: It has been over a week since an Army Aviation Corps helicopter with two pilots had crashed into Ranjit Sagar Dam lake in the Basohli area of Kathua district and went missing, but authorities have failed to trace them so far.
Following this, experts, specialised equipment, and divers were being flown in and international assistance has also been sought by the army on Tuesday for the deep underwater search operation for the chopper.
In a statement, the Army said the operation remains challenging due to the near-zero visibility below 50 metres due to the colloidal nature of water in this season, which adversely impacts the accuracy of sonars and other sensors. It did not elaborate on the nature of international assistance.
“Indian Army is coordinating the efforts of Indian Navy deep divers team consisting of two officers, four JCOs (junior commissioned officers) and 24 other ranks, Indian Army Special Forces divers’ team consisting of two officers, one JCO and 24 other ranks, multi-beam sonars, side scanners, remotely operated vehicles and underwater manipulators which have been flown in from Chandigarh, Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi and pressed into action at the crash site of the dam,” said defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand. He added the search operation continued despite bad weather and rain.
A week on: Massive search operation continues for missing pilots
