3 Indian Coast Guard Crew Missing As Helicopter Makes 'Hard' Landing in Arabian Sea

Porbandar: Three crew members went missing after an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) helicopter on a rescue mission crashed into the Arabian Sea off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat, officials said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday night around 11 pm when the ICG launched an operation to evacuate an injured crew member aboard the Motor Tanker Hari Leela, which was sailing near Porbandar. 

According to an ICG statement, while one of the four crew members on board the advanced light helicopter (ALH) was rescued, a search operation is ongoing for the three others.

"On 02 Sep 2024, India Coast Guard ALH helicopter was launched at 2300 hrs to evacuate an injured crew member from the Motor Tanker Hari Leela off Porbandar, Gujarat. The helicopter had to make an emergency hard landing and ditched into the sea. One crew member recovered, search for the remaining three crew members is in progress," the ICG said in the statement posted on X.

The agency further detailed that four ships and two aircraft have been deployed to locate and rescue the missing crew members.

The helicopter, an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) which had recently saved 67 lives during cyclonic weather in Gujarat, was dispatched at 11 pm for the medical evacuation of a seriously injured crew member on the Indian-flagged Motor Tanker Hari Leela. The vessel was situated about 45 km from Porbandar at the time of the incident. The rescue operation was initiated following a request from the Master of the vessel.

The mishap occurred as the helicopter approached the vessel for the evacuation. The search and rescue operation continues as officials strive to locate the missing crew members and recover the aircraft wreckage.

This is a developing story