No clue about missing chopper

Raipur, July 15 (UNI) A Chhattisgarh government twin-engined, six-seater chopper 'Maina' with four people on board remained untraced more than 30 hours after it went missing while flying here from Bhopal.

An IAF helicopter and Madhya Pradesh government chopper, which carried out an aerial search along the Bhopal-Raipur air route, returned this evening.

Both helicopters were pressed into the search operation in Naxalism-affected forests of Balaghat, Lanji, Kirnapur, Mahedra, Rajnandgaon and Gondiya, spread over Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, official sources said.

DIG (Balaghat Range) G Janardan told UNI on telephone that the two choppers would conduct another search. Combing operations at ground level are difficult due to dense forests and rebel presence in this region.

State Aviation Director Anil Tuteja told UNI that pilots Captain A S Siddu, Vikram Savekar, engineers Manish Dabolia and Amitabh Soni were on board. The aircraft took off from Bhopal at around 1150 hrs yesterday and lost contact with ATC in half an hour.

The chopper, manufactured by Eurocopter, was sent to Bhopal two days back and was on its way back here after a technical check-up required every five years as per aviation norms.

Initially, aviation officials thought the helicopter might have landed somewhere due to inclement weather. The aircraft is fitted with an emergency locater beacon that gets activated and starts emitting signals in the event of a crash landing.

Once the equipment gets activated, it not only sends a signal to a Hyderabad-based centre but also remains active for 72 hours. As no such signal even received, it appeared that the helicopter landed somewhere safely.

The aircraft, considered very safe, was purchased after Chhattisgarh's formation in November 2000. It was being used by VIPs, including the Governor and Chief Minister.

Besides, it is in service for airlifting forces and evacuating the injured to hospital from insurgency-affected areas.

UNI