Twelve people — 11 from the Air Force and an Army lieutenant-colonel, were killed Friday as an IAF Mi-17 helicopter crashed following a blast on board near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. The dead include two IAF flight lieutenants.
Col. Rajesh Kalia, a defence spokesman, said the cause was yet to be determined. It occurred minutes after the helicopter took off from Tawang helipad around noon. on its way to Guwahati. He said search parties had traced the wreckage and recovered all 12 bodies. A court of inquiry had been ordered. Defence sources said the Russian-built Mi-17 may have collided with a hill in the dense fog.