As we celebrate the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s return to India today, let us also take a moment to remember the other 6 IAF pilots who lost their lives in Budgam, Kashmir on 27th of February.
They were all aboard a Mi-17, that crashed in a field, claiming the life of a civilian as well.
The helicopter took off at 10 AM in the morning and crashed within 10 minutes in a field in the Budgam district.
Hindustan Times reported locals as saying that they saw the pilot trying to take the helicopter to a field so as to save lives of people living in the area.
Talking about the accident, Additional Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Khurshid Ahmad Shah told Hindustan Times:
It was not clear how the chopper crashed. Seven persons have died of which six were IAF personnel on board the helicopter while one was a civilian of the village. There was no other collateral damage. The chopper fell some 200 feet away from the nearby habitation.
