Last Updated on August 16, 2021 at 2:53 pm
Two army pilots who went missing after a helicopter crash in Ranjit Sagar Reservoir, the mortal remains of one of the pilots were recovered on Sunday evening. A senior army officer said that the mortal remains of Lt Col Abheet Singh Baath, the pilot of the ill-fated Rudra 254 A A Squadron were retrieved from a depth of 75.9 m around 6.30 pm on Sunday from Ranjit Sagar dam.
The body was recovered after 12 days of intensive search operation. “So far only one body has been recovered. Search for another body is still on,” SSP Kathua Ramesh Kotwal said.
As per reports, the body of the pilot was taken to Military Hospital Pathankot for medico-legal formalities and other necessary procedures.
Officials said the rescuers were finding it difficult in view of the fact that the expanse of the dam is 25-km-long, 8-km-wide and more than 500 feet deep.
According to PRO Defence, Indian Air Force (IAF) had brought the heavy equipment from Visakhapatnam to Pathankot for speeding up the underwater search operation.
On Saturday, the army had airlifted a submarine rescue unit of the Indian navy to explore digitally located wreckage at a depth of approximately 80 – 100 meters.
An Army Aviation Corps helicopter with two pilots crashed into Ranjit Sagar Dam Lake in Basohli area of Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on August 3.
