April 30, 2011 4:09 PM

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Arunachal CM's chopper makes safe landing in Bhutan

The missing helicopter carrying Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu has made a safe landing in neighbouring Bhutan. The Chief Minister and all the other 6 persons including the two crew members on board the chopper are safe. State Chief Secretary Tabom Bam told AIR that after taking off at 9.56 am from Tawang, the chopper bound for capital Itanagar made a diversion due to bad weather.Tawang is about 200 kms from Itanagar.Defence sources in Kolkata said the helicopter, the Pawan Hans Eurocopter B3 landed in Daporijo.The chopper was last in communication with the base when it was overflying Sela Pass, 20 minutes after take off and all communications were lost after that. Army and the Indian Air Force were alerted and helicopters were pressed into service for search and rescue operations in Sela Pass area. Today’s incident comes close on the heels of the April 19th Pawan Hans chopper crash in Tawang in which 17 people lost their lives. Since the crash, Pawan Hans passenger helicopter services in Arunachal Pradesh has been put on hold. The Director General of Civil Aviation has already ordered an inquiry into the crash.

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