7 die as Army chopper crashes in Budgam
Photo: Javed Khan/KI
Srinagar, Feb 27: Six Air Force officers and a civilian were killed after an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper crashed in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Wednesday morning, a senior police officer said.
Visuals showed the wrecked fuselage of the IAF chopper in flames and a large number of villagers standing around it.
The helicopter, a Russian made Mi-17, crashed in an open field near Garend Kalaan village in Budgam at 10.05 am.
The Mi-17 chopper broke into two and caught fire immediately, the officials said.
The deceased civilian has been identified as Kifayat Hussain Ganaie, a local resident, while the identity of the IAF personnel is being ascertained, they said.
Earlier, officials in Srinagar had described the downed aircraft as a jet. They said the aircraft broke into two and caught fire immediately.
