India's CoBRA Commandos Injured In Helicopter Crash

A private helicopter in India has been crashed while it was carrying CoBRA commandos near a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp, leaving five occupants injured in Sukhma district of the country's central part.

Two officers and a commando of the jungle warfare unit of the CoBRA were among five people who got injured following the crash in the evening near paramilitary force camp known as Chintagupha, deep in the naxal hotbed of South Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

CRPF had hired pilots and engineer or Bell-206 helicopter on lease for anti-Naxal operations in the state. Even they were also injured The Economic Times reported Wednesday.

"All the three officials of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, which is CoBRA, and the two crew members are safe now," a senior officer said. They said an inquiry is on to ascertain the reason of the crash, which could be a technical snag.

The Commanding Officer of a CoBRA battalion deployed in Chhattisgarh, his second-in-command and a jawan had gone to Chintagupha for a meeting, they said.

CRPF Director General Sudeep Lakhtakia was present in the area for reviewing operations in the aftermath of the April 24 ambush. The Chintagupha camp of the Central Reserve Police Force is deep inside Sukma and two days ago, Naxals killed 25 CRPF personnel in a deadly ambush near here in an area called Burkapal.