Helipad Mishap During President Murmu's Kerala Visit: Chopper Safely Moved After Part of Helipad Caves In

A portion of the helipad tarmac at the Pramadam Stadium in Kerala sank after the helicopter carrying President Droupadi Murmu landed on Wednesday during her visit to the Sabarimala temple.

According to officials present at the site, the helipad surface partially caved in moments after the chopper touched down. Personnel from the police and fire departments immediately rushed to the spot and manually pushed the aircraft out of the sunken area to ensure safety.

The President was en route to offer prayers at the Sabarimala temple as part of her official four-day visit to Kerala, which began on October 21 and will conclude on October 24.

President Murmu arrived at Thiruvananthapuram Airport on Tuesday. She was received by Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, George Kurian.

The President of India's official X account posted, “Governor of Kerala Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri George Kurian received President Droupadi Murmu on her arrival at Thiruvananthapuram.”

Kerala CM Vijayan also shared a post on X regarding the President's visit. He said, "Warmly welcomed Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, on her visit to Kerala. Her presence was a great honour for the State and our people."
According to a release, the President will perform darshan and aarti at the Sabarimala Temple on October 22.

On October 23, she unveiled the bust of former President of India, K.R. Narayanan, at Raj Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. Later, she inaugurated the observance of the Mahasamadhi Centenary of Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, and also graced the valedictory function of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas College, Palai.

On October 24, President Murmu attended the centenary celebrations of St. Teresa's College, Ernakulam.

Meanwhile, a BJP delegation led by the party's Kerala President, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, met President Murmu at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram and apprised her of public concerns regarding various issues, including the Sabarimala gold theft incident, according to a party release. 

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