Wreckage of the Advanced Light helicopter (ALH) that crashed into the Ranjit Sagar reservoir in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, last week had been located, the Chandimandir based Western Command of the Army said on Wednesday. A search was on for its two pilots.
“The wreckage of the Army helicopter that had crashed into the Ranjit Sagar reservoir has been identified at a depth of approximately 80m from the surface of the reservoir. Heavy duty Remotely Operated Vehicles are being flown in to assist the recovery operations,” Western Command said on Twitter.
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The weaponised ALH had taken off from Pathankot on a routine sortie and crashed into the reservoir on August 3. Special sonar equipment flown in from Kochi was being employed for the search. Specialised equipment from Israel was also being pressed in service, an official said.
The Western Command had stated that the deep underwater operation is especially challenging due to the near zero visibility below 50m owing to the colloidal nature of water in this season that adversely impacts the accuracy of sonars and sensors.
