An Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter crashed in an openfield in Budgam district on Wednesday, killing its pilot, co-pilot, four IAFpersonnel on board and a civilian, officials said.
The IAF has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The Mi-17 is being used as a transport chopper to ferry menand material for the IAF personnel, an official said.
Barely minutes after the aircraft crashed, villagers rushedto the spot in a bid to rescue the IAF personnel on board.
The incident took place barely 200 meters away from civilianhabitation.
A witness said he saw an aircraft in flames coming down atGarend-Kalan village.
“It fell on ground with a loud bang and a thick cover ofsmoke and flames started emanating from it. I called a local police officer andinformed him about the incident. Till the police reached the spot, locals triedto pull out those on board,” said Showkat Ahmad, a local resident.
He said the locals pulled one body that was badly charredwith one of its legs torn apart.
“We put some water on the face of the person but found thathe was dead,” Ahmed said.
Another witness Nazir Ahmed Wani said he was at a nearby busstop when he heard a loud explosion.
“A few minutes earlier, we saw an aircraft oscillating leftand right before it crashed. Perhaps the pilot was trying to ensure that itlands in an open field,” Wani said. “We rushed to the spot and later came toknow about the death of a civilian in the incident.”
The deceased civilian, according to local residents, wasidentified as Kifayat Hussain Ganai, 20, a resident of Garend-Kalan village.
Locals said the aircraft after touching the ground was inflames for almost 15 minutes.
Later, teams from the IAF, police and fire-extinguishersreached the spot.
Irshad Ahmed, another local resident, said the bodies offive IAF men were found a few meters away from the spot where the aircraftcrashed.
“They were also charred badly,” he said. “It seemed they hadjumped before the helicopter touched the ground as their bones were broken”.
An official statement issued by the ministry of defencethrough the press information bureau said that one Mi-17 V5 helicopter of IAFtook its flight from Srinagar airfield at 10am for a routine mission.
“The helicopter crashed at around 10.10am near Budgam. Allsix air warriors on board the helicopter suffered fatal injuries,” thestatement said. “A court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the accident.”
A defence source said the wreckage of the crashed helicopterhas been taken away to find out the exact reason of the “accident”.