Commandant Rakesh Kumar Rana.
New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard has concluded a prolonged search operation with the recovery of Commandant Rakesh Kumar Rana’s remains. The discovery was made on Thursday, more than a month after a disastrous helicopter incident off the coast of Gujarat.
Commandant Rana was piloting an advanced light helicopter (ALH) Dhruv-MkIII when it crashed into the Arabian Sea at around 11.15pm on September 2. The chopper was responding to an urgent request for medical evacuation from an oil tanker named Hari Leela, which was approximately 55 kilometres southwest of Porbandar, as India Sentinels had reported.
The ill-fated mission started with the the helicopter, carrying two pilots and two aircrew divers, was en route to the tanker. Their objective was to airlift Vinod Kumar, the 31-year-old second engineer of the Hari Leela, who had suffered severe injuries and required immediate medical attention.
In the aftermath of the ALH’s crash, the ICG immediately initiated a major search-and-rescue operation with the help of the Indian Navy. These operations yielded mixed results: one crew member, aircrew diver Gautam Kumar, was found alive. Tragically, the bodies of the co-pilot, Commandant Vipin Babu, and another aircrew diver, Pradhan Navik Karan Singh, were recovered the following day.
The retrieval of Commandant Rana’s remains brings the total fatalities from this incident to three. Meanwhile, the injured tanker crew member, whose rescue prompted the ill-fated flight, was eventually evacuated by an ICG vessel and admitted to a Porbandar hospital.
As investigations into the cause of the crash continue, the ICG has extended its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. However, as the investigation progresses, questions remain about the circumstances that led to this tragic outcome and what measures might be implemented to prevent similar incidents in future rescue missions.
