The pilot of a Cheetah helicopter of the Indian Army died and the co-pilot sustained serious injuries when their chopper crashed in the Ramganga river in Bareilly on Wednesday. The pilot was identified as Captain Sachin Bhatia and the co-pilot, who is undergoing treatment at the local Army Hospital, as Major KD Singh. Police suspect that the helicopter which was on a routine flying machine developed a snag. “The helicopter is still in the river. We are providing all help to the Army in bringing out the wreckage”, said Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police B K Singh. The police said that the residents of Ucha village informed them about the crash around noon. Pradeep Kumar Tripathi, Station Officer of Subhash Nagar police station, said, “We were told that Major Singh jumped out when the helicopter was falling into the river. The villagers easily brought him out of the water”. Captain Sachin Bhatia, he added, was trapped inside the helicopter leading to the delay in fishing him out. No Army official was available for comment. The Indian Army helicopter had taken off from the Bareilly Cantonment.
