Coast Guard helicopter crash kills 3 crew members in Gujarat's Porbandar

Porbandar: Three crew members were killed after an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) helicopter crashed and caught fire at an airport on the outskirts of Porbandar city in Gujarat, police have confirmed.

The incident occurred at 12.10 pm on Sunday when the ICG’s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), returning from a routine sortie, crashed while attempting to land on the runway of the Coast Guard airport. Porbandar Superintendent of Police Bhagirathsinh Jadeja said the helicopter went down near the runway and caught fire. The blaze was later extinguished with the help of a fire tender, PTI reported.

The three crew members aboard the helicopter were extricated and rushed to a hospital in Porbandar in a critically burnt state. Kamala Baug police station’s inspector Rajesh Kanmiya said, "Two of them were declared dead on arrival, while one was still alive when brought to the hospital but succumbed to injuries shortly after."

The identities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed. This incident comes just four months after another ICG ALH MK-III helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off Porbandar on September 2, 2024, resulting in the deaths of three crew members. The bodies of the pilot and a diver were recovered shortly after the crash, while the body of the third crew member was found more than a month later.