Five Indian army soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed near the country's disputed border with China, the defence ministry said Saturday -- the second such fatal accident in the region this month.

The Advance Light Helicopter came down on Friday south of Tuting, a remote town near the Line of Actual Control which divides India's northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state from Chinese territory.

Air traffic controllers had received a mayday call before the crash that suggested technical or mechanical failure, the ministry said in a statement.

Four bodies had been recovered and rescuers were working to retrieve the fifth and final occupant of the helicopter, the statement said.

"The Indian Army offers deepest condolences (and) stands firmly with the bereaved families," it added.

The accident comes weeks after an Indian army pilot was killed while on a routine flight aboard a Cheetah helicopter at Tawang, further east in the state.

China and India fought a full-scale war in 1962 over control of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims in its entirety and considers part of Tibet.

Tensions have simmered between the countries since a clash elsewhere on their disputed Himalayan border in 2020 that left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Philippines to get US military helicopters after scrapping Russia deal
Manila (AFP) Oct 20, 2022
The Philippines will acquire heavy-lift military helicopters from the United States, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said Thursday, after scrapping a deal to buy similar aircraft from Russia. The government of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte had signed a deal worth $216 million for 16 Mi-17 helicopters, but backed out in the months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of wide-ranging sanctions on Moscow. Earlier Thursday, local media had quoted the Russian ambassador to the Ph ... read more