Foreign help sought to trace missing pilots

CHANDIGARH/JAMMU: Army on Tuesday said international assistance is being sought to trace the two missing pilots of the helicopter that crashed into Ranjit Sagar Lake in Basholi area of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir on August 3. Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said search operation was continuing unabated despite bad weather.
“Military authorities are leaving no stone unturned to locate the two pilots. The expanse of the dam is 25km long, 8km wide and more than 500 feet deep. Experts and equipment from Army, Navy, IAF, NDRF, SDRF, NGOs, state police, dam authority and private firms from all over the country have been put into action. Experts and specialised equipment and divers are being continuously flown in and international assistance is also being sought,” he said.
According to information, a special contingent of Navy, comprising two officers, four junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and 24 other ranks, one contingent of Army’s Special Forces divers comprising two officers, one JCO and 24 other ranks, are carrying out the operation.
“A small area of 60m by 60m has been localised and special sonar equipment flown in from Kochi is being employed to enable the search operations to enter their final phase,” the officer added. He explained that the deep underwater operation is especially challenging due to near-zero visibility below 50 meters owing to the colloidal nature of water in the rainy season, which adversely impacts accuracy of sonars and other sensors.