Andhra CM missing, No contact with CM’s Helicopter

Posted Sep.02, 2009 under Featured, World

Andhra Pradesh CM Rajashekhar Reddy’s chopper was declared untraceable after his chopper made an emergency landing in Atmakur area of Kurnool district on Wednesday afternoon. Officials said that the chopper had landed safely in a playground but the whereabouts of the CM are being kept under wraps as it is a naxalite-infested area and the Nallamalla forests-the stronghold of Maoists-are closeby.

The CM is on a three-district tour and was proceeding towards Chittor for an inauguration function when the chopper apparently went off the radar of air traffic control tower at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad. The Bell 430 chopper with call sign VTAPG lost contact with the ATC at 79 nautical miles from Begumpet and was in visual flying range.

Sources said that the Kurnool District Collector called up the ATC to say a chopper has landed on an open field near Bhanucharla village. However, there was no communication from the pilot or the officials accompanying the CM about their whereabouts.

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There has been no contact with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, whose helicopter has been missing for over five hours now after he took off from Hyderabad on Wednesday morning, Home Ministry sources said in New Delhi.

“There has been no contact established with the helicopter,” sources in the ministry said.

They said the situation was being monitored by Home Minister P Chidambaram and top officials who are in touch with Andhra Pradesh government officials.

The Home Ministry spokesperson said two Air Force helicopters have been dispatched for search operations.

Civil Aviation Secretary M Madhavan Nambiar said that there was no information about the whereabouts of the helicopter. The Home Ministry was coordinating search operations, he said.

Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, Andhra Police Greyhound commandos along with local police and district officials have launched a massive search and rescue operation for Rajasekhara Reddy in the densely forested area which is also a Naxal-stronghold

Four Army helicopters have been pressed into service to locate Reddy. While three helicopters have been brought in from Bangalore, one of the helicopter has been sent from Hyderabad.

The IAF has also pressed into service four helicopters including two Chetaks, one MI8 chopper and a Dhruv advanced light helicopter from Bangalore are also trying to trace the Chief Minister’s helicopter