Indian army helicopter crashes, three officers dead

Three Indian army officers have been killed in a crash of a five-seater Cheetah helicopter in eastern India.

Dipannita Dhar, a spokeswoman for the Indian army's Eastern Command, said another officer was seriously wounded when the helicopter crashed while landing in a military camp in Sukna district of the state of West Bengal on Wednesday.

"The helicopter was on a routine mission. It crashed near the helipad inside the army base as it was trying to land," the spokeswoman said.

The Indian army uses the multi-role Cheetah helicopters during high-altitude missions.

In July, a Russian-made Antonov-32 air force transport aircraft disappeared over the Bay of Bengal with 29 people on board. The Indian air force uses AN-32s to ferry troops and cargo. The planes have a relatively good flight safety record, but they are old despite refits.

SS