In a tragic incident, the bodies of Commandant Vipin Babu and P/NVK Karan Singh have been recovered following the crash of an Indian Coast Guard ALH helicopter near Porbandar. The search and rescue teams have been working tirelessly since the incident occurred. Despite the challenging conditions, efforts are still underway to locate the third missing crew member, Commandant Rakesh Kumar Rana. Porbandar Coast Guard DIG Pankaj Agarwal confirmed that the search operations are continuing with all available resources.
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash. The ICG is closely monitoring the situation, and further updates are expected as the search progresses and more information becomes available.
A helicopter that recently saved 67 lives during cyclonic weather in Gujarat made an emergency sea landing around 11 pm while attempting to evacuate a seriously injured crew member from the Indian-flagged motor tanker Hari Leela, located about 45 kilometers off the Porbandar coast. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) reported that the helicopter, carrying four aircrew members, was nearing the vessel when the emergency occurred. The cause of the landing is under investigation.
ICG launches massive search and rescue operation
The ICG immediately launched a large-scale search and rescue operation, deploying four ships and two aircraft to locate the missing crew members. While the wreckage of the helicopter has been found, the search continues for one remaining missing crew member.
Recent ICG rescue operations
This incident follows another recent rescue by the ICG, in which they saved 11 crew members from the distressed MV ITT Puma on August 26. The Mumbai-registered cargo vessel, en route from Kolkata to Port Blair, sank approximately 90 nautical miles south of Sagar Island in West Bengal. The ICG's Regional Headquarters (North East) in Kolkata quickly responded to a distress signal from the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Chennai, deploying two vessels and a Dornier aircraft to conduct the challenging nighttime rescue.
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