Then too, the three naval personnel had escaped as the pilot tactfully landed the chopper on the grassland.
Official sources said with today's incident two of the three helicopters of INS Parundu, which handles patrolling of the sensitive Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar area, were under repair.
Patrolling in the area has been intensified recently following an intelligence alert that terrorists could infiltrate into Rameswaram island from Sri Lanka.
