Kerala: 2 Navy personnel killed as glider crashes during training
Two officers of the Indian Navy died Sunday morning as a glider aircraft crashed in Kochi, Kerala. The two officers have been identified as Lieutenant Rajeev Jha and Petty Officer - Electrical Air (POELA) Sunil Kumar. According to reports, the tragic incident occurred during a routine training sortie near the BOT Bridge at Thoppumpady in Kochi. Here are more details.
The incident occurred around 7 am on Sunday as the glider crashed near the Mattancherry BOT Bridge, which is close to the Kochi Naval Airport. The glider had taken off from INS Garuda, the Southern Naval Command's air station. The spot where the accident took place is usually busy and lies close to the road connecting West Kochi and Ernakulam city.
Both officers were extracted from the accident debris and rushed to the INHS Sanjivani Hospital in the Southern Naval Command, The Hindu reported. They were declared brought dead. Officials told The News Minute the glider aircraft has been retrieved from the spot. The reason behind the crash is yet to be found. The Navy has formed a board of inquiry to investigate the accident.
Lt. Jha (39) hailed from Dehradun in Uttarakhand, according to The Hindu. He is now survived by his wife and two children. Petty Officer (Electrical Air) Kumar (29) hailed from Bhoj in Bihar and is survived by his parents.
The incident comes mere two days after another officer was killed in Karnataka. Indian Navy Captain Madhusudhan Reddy, 56, a native of Andhra Pradesh, died during a paramotoring accident on Friday evening in Karwar. His glider had plunged into the Arabian Sea. He was rescued from the waters, however, he died about 30 minutes later as he was being taken to a hospital.
