Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis’s helicopter crash landed in Latur, just moments after take off. This narrow escape occurred after the chopper got tangled in wires. Fadnavis immediately tweeted that he and others were safe owing to the “blessings of 11 crore people of Maharashtra.”
Visuals showed CM’s chopper taking off from the helipad in Nilanga and as the crowd watched, it gave off red emergency beacons and made a crash landing. The chopper landed from the height of a ten story building. The people in the American made Sikorsky were safe, but the plane was badly damaged. Officials said that it was a miracle that no one was hurt.
Fadnavis tweeted, “Our helicopter did meet with an accident in Latur but I and my team are absolutely safe and ok. Nothing to worry.” In a video, he thanked the people of Maharastra and said, “With the blessings of the people and God nothing happened to me…I request you to keep blessing me.” The CM speaking to a popular news channel said, “When the helicopter took off, there was an emergency landing, an accident, but we are safe.”
The chopper, as CM said, is six to seven years old. He also said that an inquiry will be launched into the issue. Directorate General of Civil Aviation said, “After take off, the pilot found variable wind pattern and decided to land. During landing, the helicopter got entangled in wires. The helicopter has sustained substantial damage.”
This is the second incident with Fadnavis in a week. The CM was, in the last week, forced to travel by road in Gadchiroli, the Maoist affected area as the helicopter had a snag. Gadchiroli in Maharastra is the second most affected area in India after Sukma, with the Maoists crawling through the forests and repeated attacks.
