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Devendra Fadnavis' chopper crash-lands in Latur, all on-board unhurt

By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 25, May 2017, 15:33 pm IST | UPDATED: 25, May 2017, 17:50 pm IST

Devendra Fadnavis' chopper crash-lands in Latur, all on-board unhurt Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis survived a major scare on Thursday, when a helicopter carrying him crash-landed in Latur. However, Fadnavis and his aides who were travelling with him all escaped unhurt.

The helicopter, which had six persons on board including two crew members, got entangled in overhead wires while landing at Nilanga area where the CM had held a programme.

Speaking to the media after everybody's safety was assured, Fadnavis said there was nothing to worry about.

"Nobody got hurt. My media advisor Ketan Pathak has suffered minor injuries. With the blessings of 11 crore people of Maharashtra, I am safe," he told reporters at Nilanga. He added that the pilot too had not been injured seriously.

"This is a new helicopter. We will seek information from police on this incident," the chief minister said. He also took to social media to announce the same. He tweeted:

A senior official of the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) said the state government's Sikorsky helicopter suffered substantial damage in the accident.

After taking-off at around 12 pm today, the pilot observed a variable wind pattern and decided to land. During landing, the helicopter got entangled in wires, the official said, adding that all six persons who were on board are safe and escaped without serious injuries.

The authorities spoke to commander of the flight as well as the chief minister. Both informed about the well-being of all occupants, the official said.

Fadnavis was travelling across the state's rural hinterland to reach out to farmers in order to assure them of his government's support. Thursday was Day One of this 'Samwad Sabha' rally. On the first day, Fadnavis was scheduled to meet farmers in Latur, while BJP state unit president Raosaheb Patil is to interact with cultivators in Nandurbar district of North Maharashtra.

The chief minister, during his speech at the BJP state working committee's meeting last month in Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune, had announced the 'Shivar Samwad Sabha' plans.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation (AIB) bureau, which comes under the Civil Aviation Ministry, will investigate the mishap. The AIB probes all accidents and serious incidents involving Indian aircraft.

However, the helicopter accident will worry Fadnavis, especially because it comes worryingly close to another one last week. A report on NDTV mentioned how Fadnavis' helicopter developed a snag last week, forcing the chief minister to travel through road in an area with a major Maoist presence.

"The pilot of the chopper informed about the technical snag just before the take-off for Nagpur in the afternoon. Hence we had to take the decision of travelling by road," Gadchiroli superintendent of police Dr Abhinav Deshmukh said, referring to last week's incident.