Three members of the Indian Coast Guard are missing after their Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea during a late-night rescue operation near the Porbandar coast in Gujarat. The helicopter, which had four crew members on board, was dispatched on September 2 at 11 p.m. to evacuate an injured crew member from the oil tanker Motor Tanker Hari Leela. One member of the helicopter crew has been rescued, while the search continues for the other three.
In a social media post, the Indian Coast Guard confirmed that the search operation is ongoing, with four ships and two aircraft deployed to locate the missing personnel.
A statement from the Indian Coast Guard provided further details, noting that the ALH had previously saved 67 lives during recent cyclonic conditions in Gujarat. The helicopter was dispatched for the medical evacuation of a critically injured crew member onboard the Indian-flagged Motor Tanker Hari Leela, approximately 45 kilometers off the Porbandar coast, following a request from the ship's captain.
The Coast Guard reported that the helicopter encountered difficulties while approaching the vessel for the evacuation, leading to the incident. The wreckage of the aircraft has since been located, and efforts to find the missing crew members are ongoing.