A helicopter with three passengers crashed in Pune’s Bavdhan area on Wednesday morning, leading to the fatalities of all three individuals on board, police reported.
Vinoykumar Choubey, Police Commissioner of Pimpri Chinchwad, confirmed the fatalities, stating, “The chopper was on its way from Oxford Golf Course resort to Juhu. Our teams have responded.”
The Hinjewadi police, along with fire brigade teams, have also responded to reports of the helicopter crash in Bavdhan, which is believed to have occurred before 7 a.m. Three fire tenders have been deployed to control the blaze.
“When we arrived at the scene, we saw that the helicopter had crashed, with debris scattered all around. A fire was still smouldering. We managed to recover three casualties, who were then handed over to the police…Further details are yet to be confirmed,” Chief Fire Officer Devendra Prabhakar Potphode told ANI.
Preliminary information suggests the helicopter, registered as VT EVV, belonged to Heritage Aviation and was based in Pune, according to the police.
The helicopter was chartered by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and was en route to Mumbai. NCP chief Sunil Tatkare mentioned he was scheduled to visit Raigad in the chopper.
While the exact cause of the crash remains unknown, police officials indicated that dense fog may have contributed to the accident.
This incident follows another helicopter crash on August 24, when a private helicopter en route from Juhu, Mumbai, to Hyderabad crashed near a village in Paud. In that case, the pilot sustained minor injuries, while the passengers were unharmed.