Three bodies sighted at presumed crash site of AP CM's chopper

Itanagar/New Delhi, May 4 (PTI) Three bodies were
sighted on Wednesday, along with wreckage of an aircraft at a
place on the path, the helicopter carrying Arunachal Pradesh
Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and four others, had taken and
the worst is feared.
Breaking information that is "not encouraging and not
good news", Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram said at a place
between Kyela and Lobothang a party sent by circle officer
sighted what appears to be an aircraft.
"They have sighted three bodies. This sighting has
been made from a height. They have not been able to go down to
the place where the aircraft is crashed. The message has been
given to the nearest Army post which is sending a team," he
told reporters.
"The search party will take about half-an-hour to one
hour to reach the suspected crash site," he said.
Chidambaram said that an Army team has been dispatched
on foot to the crash site and "we will know more about the
crash site and the bodies lying there once they reach there".
The place is located at a height of 4900 metres and,
therefore, it will take some time and difficulty to reach
there, he said.
"When they reach there, they will communicate to us
what they have found there," the Home Minister said, adding he
was unable to state as to what type of aircraft or whose
bodies they were.
"But I am afraid it is on the flight path of the
chopper after it had taken off from Tawang. We are keeping our
fingers crossed and let us wait for the official word to come
from the team," he said.
The single engine four-seater Pawan Hans helicopter
with Dorjee and four others on board went missing soon after
taking off from Tawang on Saturday.
Besides Khandu, others on board were pilots Captain J
S Babbar, Captain T S Mamik, Khandu’s security officer Yeshi
Choddak and Yeshi Lhamu, sister of Tawang MLA Tsewang Dhondup.
Inclement weather had prevented teams from carrying
out aerial searches.