Five people, including four Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, were killed in a helicopter crash in Budgam district of occupied Kashmir, the same day when two Indian fighter jets were downed by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Wednesday.
The chopper crashed in an open field near Garend Kalaan village in Budgam at around 10am, the Indian officials were quoted by The Times of India as saying. “One of the deceased has been identified as Kifayat Hussain Ganaie, a local resident, while the identity of the other four, who are believed to be IAF personnel, is being ascertained,” they added.
The crashed helicopter was a Russian Mi-17, said the officials in Srinagar, who had earlier described it a fighter jet. They said the chopper broke into two and caught fire immediately.
Earlier in the day, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Major General Asif Ghafoor had also mentioned the incident in a news conference called after Pakistan Air Force (PAF) struck Indian targets in occupied Kashmir downing two IAF fighter jets from within friendly airspace as the country’s armed forces struck back following unprovoked Indian aggression a day earlier.
The Pakistani forces also managed to capture IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman after a MIG-21 fighter jet was downed by the PAF warplanes.
