Seventeen people were killed and six seriously injured in a helicopter crash in Twang town of Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday. The MI-172 Pawan Hans helicopter with 23 people on board caught fire and crashed into a gorge while landing at Tawang. It had taken off from Guwahati at 1315 hrs. The helicopter fell from a height of 15 metre. Tawang District Commissioner Gamlin Padu said that the injured are being treated at Tawang District hospital. The helicopter had 18 passengers on board, including two children. The five-member crew included Captain Barun Gupta and Captain Tiwari.Rescue teams of Army, SSB and ITBP helped in finding the scattered bodies and the trapped passengers under the debris. Defence PRO Tezpur Col. N.N. Joshi told our correspondent that all necessary help including airlifting of injured passengers will be accorded, if necessity arises.Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Mr. Dorji Khandu has said that free air travel will be given to the relatives of the passengers if they are willing to come to Tawang.The relatives of the passengers can have the latest information from Pawan Hans office at Guwahati airport. The latest position can also be ascertained at Tawang Police Control Room telephone number: 03794-222278.