Helicopter crashes in Chhattisgarh, 2 pilots killed

On Thursday, a helicopter crashed at an airport in Chhattisgarh's Raipur killing two pilots, namely Captain Gopal Krishna Panda and Captain AP Shrivastava, police said.

Reportedly, when pilots were trying to land the helicopter, it caught fire and killed both the pilots on board. There were no passengers aboard at the time of the accident.

The unfortunate incident took place at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur during a flying practice at around 9:10 pm, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prashant Agrawal.

So far, the cause of the crash remains unknown. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Chhattisgarh Government will conduct a detailed technical investigation to fathom the exact cause.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed grief over the incident and paid condolence to the pilots.

 "Just got sad news about the state helicopter crashing at the airport in Raipur. In this tragic accident, both our pilots Captain Panda and Captain Srivastava died. May God gives strength to his family members and peace to the departed soul in this time of grief," Mr. Baghel tweeted.