An Indian Navy helicopter, which was on a routine training sortie, created panic among people when it reportedly came low and remained stationary over a makeshift shed at Kurishumala in Vallikadu, near Ettumanur, on Wednesday.
The incident took place at 11.30 a.m when a Sea King Charley helicopter hovered over the location as part of a training and familiarisation sortie. Eyewitness accounts suggested that the chopper remained stationary over the spot and the wind generated by the rotor blades of the chopper blew away the temporary roof of a painting workshop underneath. The workshop is reported to have suffered a loss of around ₹25,000.
The incident created fear among the local people who ran away from the spot thinking that the chopper was going to crash. The people claimed that the same chopper had been spotted flying low in another area in the same ward earlier.
Disaster-relief
A defence spokesperson said the chopper, which was generally deployed in humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief operations, was on its standard low-flying mode.
The incident was immediately reported to the Kanakkari village office and the Kuravilangadu police. The police who had been initially caught unawares of the incident later confirmed that it was a naval chopper.
