Chhatisgarh:Chopper crashes at Raipur airport, two pilots dead

In Chhattisgarh, two pilots were killed in a helicopter crash at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur on Thursday night. The incident took place when the Chhattisgarh state helicopter was on a routine training sortie.  Raipur senior superintendent of police Prashant Agrawal said that two pilots on board the chopper were seriously injured in the crash and immediately taken to a nearby private hospital where they were declared dead.
The deceased were identified as Captian Gopal Krishna Panda and Captain A P Shrivastava. According to the statement issued by the state government, initial indications suggest technical malfunction as the cause of crash. A detailed technical investigation at the behest of DGCA and State Government shall be undertaken to ascertain the exact cause. Governor Anusuiya Uikey and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed deep anguish at the loss of lives and offered condolences to the bereaved families.