A Coast Guard helicopter crashed on Sunday just after takeoff from near the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). Reports suggest the chopper, which was on a training flight, crashed as it began taking off from the helipad. Two of the three people onboard have been injured in the incident and have been hospitalised for treatment.

The exact cause of the crash has not been determined yet. Meanwhile, the runway of the Nedumbassery airport has been temporarily closed affecting the flight operations at the airport. It is to be noted that the helicopter in the incident has been identified as the ALH Dhruv Mark 3 helicopter of the Indian coast guard.

Also read: Passenger On Flight Opens Exit Door Moments Before Take Off Activating Emergency Slide; Arrested

After the incident, an ICG official said, “An incident of forced landing of an ALH Dhruv Mark 3 helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard today took place in Kochi while the pilots of the force were testing the chopper. The chopper was at around 25 feet height when it had to make a forced landing. The ICG is working towards resuming the operations of the ALH Dhruv fleet.”