Indian army helicopter makes 'hard landing', one dead

An Indian army helicopter made a "hard landing" in a remote part of Indian Kashmir on Thursday, killing one person and injuring two pilots on board, the army said. The domestically produced Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) reported a technical fault to air traffic control and made a precautionary landing on the banks of a river in the remote Kishtwar region, the army said.

An Indian army helicopter made a "hard landing" in a remote part of Indian Kashmir on Thursday, killing one person and injuring two pilots on board, the army said.

The domestically produced Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) reported a technical fault to air traffic control and made a precautionary landing on the banks of a river in the remote Kishtwar region, the army said. An initial army statement said all three people had been injured and taken to hospital, but a later statement said the technician on board had died.

"Due to the undulating ground, undergrowth and unprepared landing area, the helicopter apparently made a hard landing," the army said, adding that a court of inquiry had been ordered. There had been extensive checks on the ALH fleet after two crashes, media reported last month.