A KAMOV-28 helicopter of the Navy with a six-member crew crashed in the Kundapur forests near Belgaum in Karnataka 15 minutes after taking off from Panaji this afternoon. This is the third KA-28 to have crashed.Almost seven hours after the crash, the Navy, while confirming the crash, was struggling for information on the status of those on board, though unconfirmed reports said two of them were dead. The chopper lost radar and radio contact with ground stations before it crashed. One of the crew called up to inform about the crash using a cellphone. But there was no more contact.A Navy spokesperson said rescue teams of the Navy and the Army have been despatched. A Naval Dornier-228 patrol aircraft and two choppers were sent from Goa while the Army team was proceeding on the ground. The Navy has ordered an inquiry.The exact cause of the crash was not yet known, though sources indicated that the helicopter was flying in bad weather when it went down. The helicopter, used for anti-submarine operations, took off at 11.50 am and was heading for Vishakapatnam via Hyderabad when it crashed.
