Four people died after an ONGC helicopter fell into the Arabian Sea while attempting to land on a company’s rig on Tuesday. Of the four, three were ONGC employees and one was under contract.
Two pilots and seven others were on board the Pawan Hans helicopter when it fell into the sea about 50 nautical miles from the Mumbai coast. The helicopter managed to stay afloat with the help of the attached floaters for some time, helping rescuers pull out all nine people, a company official said.
Four of them were unconscious and airlifted in a Navy copper to a hospital in Mumbai, where they were declared dead, the official added.
Apart from the two pilots, six persons on board were ONGC personnel onboard and one belonged to a contractor working for the company. The helicopter was forced to land using floaters attached to choppers that carry personnel and material from shore to offshore installations.
According to an official, about 1.5 km from the landing zone on the rig, the chopper fell into the sea. The circumstances that led to the incident were not immediately clear. Other details, too, were awaited, the official said.
The ONGC has several rigs and installations in the Arabian Sea used to produce oil and gas from reservoirs lying below the seabed.
The ONGC deployed vessels from nearby installations to pull out personnel on board the helicopter. A rescue boat from the rig Sagar Kiran, near which the helicopter made the emergency landing, rescued at least one person, the official said. ONGC vessel Malviya-16 rescued four persons.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Comments
0 comment