3 min readPuneAug 25, 2024 02:20 PM IST
First published on: Aug 25, 2024 at 03:28 AM IST
Rescue operation by local villagers saved the lives of four people when a private helicopter crashed in Kondavale village, near Paud, Mulshi taluka in Pune district on Saturday afternoon.
The helicopter flying from Juhu in Mumbai to Hyderabad crashed about a kilometre away from a restaurant between 2 and 2.30 pm. The restaurant’s owners and staff ran out immediately to save those affected.
The crash site was close to the Mula river, which had been flowing with strong currents due to heavy rains. A strong smell of petrol was in the vicinity of the helicopter crash. Police restricted the entry of people into the crash site in case the helicopter exploded.
The accident took place at the western end of the Mula river. It was an AW139 model helicopter.
The occupants of the chopper were pilot Sanjay Anand (58), Amardeep Singh (63), S B Ram (64) and Dir Bhatia. Bhatia was stable and wasn’t taken to hospital.
Sangeeta Vatane, owner of the restaurant, said, “When we saw the helicopter crashing, everyone ran trying to figure out where it fell. We had to cross waist-deep water, so we formed a chain of five to six people. When we reached the crash site and were trying to rescue the people stuck in the helicopter, we saw that one person had a serious head injury, so we tied his head with a handkerchief. I immediately called home and asked for bedsheets, cots and blankets, so we could carry them safely.”
Sangeeta’s son, Rasik Vatane, contacted the police at the site of the crash and asked for an ambulance. Waiters at the restaurant also rushed to help in the rescue operation.
Apart from crossing the river and trudging through sludge, the rescue team had to wor through thorns of a babul tree, into which the chopper had crashed.
Paud Police said, “The helicopter had a pilot, co-pilot and two engineers of the company (that owned the chopper). The area has been seeing heavy rains since Friday and due to bad weather, the pilot realised he should attempt a safe landing. But the helicopter crashed into a tree and then on land. The pilot had injuries, two have minor injuries, one person is not injured.”
The police said the helicopter belongs to a company named Global Vectra in Mumbai. It is suspected to have crashed due to a technical failure following turbulent weather, the police said. A team from Paud police station reached the spot after receiving information about the incident from villagers.
The injured were sent to the nearest government hospital in Paud and from there were moved to Symbiosis Lavale Hospital for further treatment. Medical officer Dr Pradnya Sanghai said, “No one was in a condition to get up and sit, all have a spinal issue. The pilot has a spinal and head injury. Due to the nature of the crash, all of them are suspected to have spinal injuries.”
The chopper was on its way from Juhu to Hyderabad. 
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