PATHANKOT: The search operation to trace the missing pilots of an Army helicopter that crashed into the Ranjit Sagar Dam Reservoir (RSDR) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua resumed on Wednesday, officials said.
However, divers could not locate the mission pilots on the second day of the search operations.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) RC Kotwal said: “Till now, the divers have not found any traces of the missing pilots and they have asked for specialised equipment’s for deep water search operation”.
Notably, Rudra, an armed version of the indigenous advanced light helicopter from 254 Army Aviation Squadron had taken off from Mamun cantonment in Pathankot at around 10.40am on Tuesday for a routine sortie.
After 10 minutes of flying time, the helicopter developed some snag, lost control and plunged into the RSDR.
Sources involved in the search and rescue mission apprehended that the possibility was that the seat belts malfunctioned after the crash and both the pilots could have been trapped inside the helicopter which could be lying somewhere down in the reservoir.
Kotwal confirmed that the divers had not been able to locate the main body of the helicopter and the search teams had retrieved the plastic wreckage of the chopper.
