An ONGC helicopter was reportedly forced to land, as it was attempting to land at a rig, about 50 nautical miles from the Mumbai coast.
The chopper ‘fell into the sea,’ 1.5 kms from the designated landing zone. an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
An emergency landing was made using the floaters that are attached to such helicopters.
‘In a swiftly coordinated maritime life saving operation in Arabian Sea, prudent coordination amidst stakeholders resulted in accounting of all 9 pax of the ill fated @ONGC_Pawan Hans. Alert eyes and prompt response at the western seaboard’s concerted efforts resulted in SAR ops (sic),’ the Indian Coast Guard said in a tweet.
The Arabian Sea has several ONGC rigs and installations used to produce oil and gas from reservoirs lying below the seabed.
Vessels were deployed from nearby ONGC installations for the rescue.
The incident will be examined by authorities.
Update:
Four persons died after being rescued from the helicopter., while five others are undergoing treatment at a medical unit.
The four persons were declared brought dead at the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai.
The deceased were identified as Mukesh Patel, Vijay Mandloi, Satyambad Patra and Sanju Francis – all of them coming from different states.
Three of the deceased were ONGC employees while the fourth one was on contract hired by ONGC.
Stay updated with all the insights.
Navigate news, 1 email day.
Subscribe to Qrius
