Indian Army’s ALH Dhruv Helicopter crashes into Dam

An ALH Dhruv helicopter of the Indian Army crashed into the Ranjit Sagar Dam located in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir today.

Initial reports suggested at least five were on board the chopper, which apparently developed a snag after take-off at around 11 a.m. from Purthu in Basohli area.

The search operations for the two pilots are still on. Initial reports from the ground suggested that they have been recovered safely, Indian media reported Tuesday.

The National Disaster Response Force is also assisting in the search and rescue operation in the dam’s lake. Police and Army teams are also at the site.

The chopper belonged to the 254 Army Aviation Squadron and had taken off from and Mamun cantonment 10 minutes before it came down. Officials say it was carrying out low-level sorties when it lost control.

ALH Dhruv is a multi-role, new generation helicopter in the 5.5-ton weight class, indigenously designed and developed by HAL. The aircraft is powered by two Shakti engines.