Budgam Crash: List of 6 IAF Personnel Killed in Mi-17 Chopper Accident

Budgam, February 28:  Six Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel including two officers were killed in a Mi-17 V5 chopper crash on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district. Amongst the deceased were Wing Commander Sidharth Sharma and Squadron Leader Ninad Mandavgane. The other IAF personnel who lost their lives in the crash were identified as Sergeant Vikrant Sherawat, Corporal Deepak Pandey, Corporal Pankaj Kumar and engineer Vishal Kumar Pandey. One civilian was also killed in the crash. Budgam Crash: IAF Confirms Death of 6 Airmen, 1 Civilian in M-17 Chopper Accident.

Mortal remains of Wing Commander Sharma:

According to reports, the crashed helicopter land in the fields of Budgam, where a local, identified as 20-year-old Kifayat Hussain, was caught in the explosion following the crash. He was rushed to the hospital, but declared dead on arrival. The accident occurred at 10:10 am in the morning, at a time when the IAF was responding to the air space violation by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Mi-17 V5 is a transport chopper. Initially, there were rumours that the ill-fated Mi-17 chopper was attacked by the PAF which crossed the Line of Control on Wednesday. Pakistan later denied any involvement in the crash. Indian Air Force's Mi-17 V-5 Helicopter Crashes Near Kedarnath Temple, Six injured.

The Mi-17 V-5 is a Russian helicopter which is considered to be an advanced version of Mi-8/17 family of helicopters. It is deployed mainly for troops and arms transport. It is produced by Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters. The Mi-17V-5 has a maximum speed of 250km/h, and a standard range of 580km, which can be extended to 1,065km when fitted with two auxiliary fuel tanks.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2019 10:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).