Sep 3, 2009

Reddy's chopper hit a cliff



Hyderabad, Sept 3 (PTI) The helicopter carrying Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy from Hyderabad to Chittoor yesterday deviated 18 km from its path towards east, near Rudrakoduru in the Nallamala forest range in Kurnool district, before it hit a cliff and crashed. "The chopper hit the cliff, crashed and exploded.

All the five persons in the ill-fated helicopter were burnt to death," state Finance Minister K Rosaiah and Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy said here today. The chopper might have drifted from its path because of a large cloud formation due to inclement weather and ended up hitting the cliff, they said.

Except the tail portion, the body of the Bell-430 helicoper of AP Aviation Corporation was reduced to bits and pieces in the mishap. The helicopter crashed 10 km away from Rudrakoduru on a hostile terrain and army commandos had to slither down with the help of a rope from a rescue helicopter.

"Initially three bodies were traced and then the fourth one. It took a while to locate the fifth body.

We have identified the bodies from the dresses," Director General of Police S S P Yadav said. .

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