Cheetah Helicopter Crashed in Ladakh, Leading to Deaths of Major Abhijai Thapa, Captain Avinash Somavanshi and Major Vikas Varyani? Old News of Indian Army Chopper's Crash Passed Off as Recent Incident
Old news of a Cheetah chopper crash is being passed off on Twitter as that of a recent incident in Ladakh.
New Delhi, October 3: Twitter is flooded with posts that claim a Cheetah helicopter of the Indian Army crashed in Ladakh yesterday, leading to three casualties. These unverified posts claim Major Abhijai Thapa, Captain Avinash Somavanshi and Major Vikas Varyani died in the crash that allegedly happened yesterday. These Twitter posts are getting retweeted and the claims are being shared on other social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp groups. IAF Mi-17 Chopper Crashed in Ladakh? Pakistan Journalist Shares Old Picture of Crashed Indian Helicopter to Spread Fake News.
The fact is no Cheetah helicopter crashed in Ladakh yesterday. Therefore, the claim that the Indian Army's Cheetah chopper crashed in Ladakh is untrue. The second claim is about deaths of Major Abhijai Thapa, Captain Avinash Somavanshi and Major Vikas Varyani. The truth is Major Abhijai Thapa, Captain Avinash Somavanshi and Major Vikas Varyani died in a crash that took place on October 1 in 2014. Video of MS Braemar Cruising Narrow Canal in Greece Passed off As That of Ro-Ro Ferry Service Between Bhavnagar And Bharuch; Here's The Complete Truth About The Viral Footage.
Old News of Indian Army Chopper's Crash Passed Off as Recent Incident:
A Cheetah helicopter crashed moments after takeoff from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. Major Thapa, Captain Somavanshi and Major Varyani died in the crash. According to a statement released by the Indian Army in 2014, the Cheetah, being flown by Major Thapa and Captain Somavanshi, had taken off on "a test flight" with flight engineer Major Varyani from the aviation base in the Bareilly Cantonment.
"But the helicopter developed some technical problem and crashed almost immediately. The three officers were killed on the spot," an officer had said. The old news is being shared on Twitter as a recent crash in Ladakh.
Fact check
A Cheetah helicopter crash in Ladakh on October 2. Major Abhijai Thapa, Captain Avinash Somavanshi and Major Vikas Varyani died.
Major Abhijai Thapa, Captain Avinash Somavanshi and Major Vikas Varyani died in a crash in 2014. No chopper crashed in Ladakh yesterday.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 03, 2020 01:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).