Helicopter crashes into sea in Andamans, no casualties

A helicopter operated by Pawan Hans, carrying seven people, including the crew members, crashed into the sea after it took off for Mayabunder in North and Middle Andaman district on Tuesday morning, and all of them were rescued, officials said. The accident occurred around 9.30 am, they said. All the passengers and the crew members, rescued from the mid-sea, have been admitted to a hospital in Sri Vijay Puram, one of the officials said. “The helicopter took off from Sri Vijaya Puram around 8.45 am, and it crashed into the sea around 9.30 am. A preliminary inquiry revealed that there was some technical snag, and the pilot made a crash-landing on the sea,” a senior Civil Aviation official said. An inquiry has been initiated, another official said.
There were two crew members and five passengers, including a child on board. All seven occupants were rescued from mid-sea and later admitted to a local hospital as a precautionary measure. Officials confirmed that no injuries were reported. North & Middle Andaman Deputy Commissioner Sushant Padha said the rescue team, the police and Coast Guard acted promptly and rescued all seven people. "Those who were travelling in the helicopter were Rajita Devi, Kamala Chandra Das, Shipra Saha, Nambi Amma, one infant and two pilots, Captain Anil Janu and Captain TPS Gulia. All are safe,” he said.
Pawan Hans is a central public sector undertaking with its headquarters in Noida and operates helicopter services across the country. Its operations are concentrated in areas with limited or no fixed-wing connectivity. The company provides critical air links to regions such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, offshore oil installations and mountainous areas, and is routinely deployed for inter-island transport, medical evacuation and government operations.