ANDHRA PRADESH CM KILLED IN CHOPPER CRASH

By P. VIJIAN

NEW DELHI, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- Influential Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.
S. Rajasekhara Reddy was killed Wednesday after a chopper carrying the
politician and four others, crashed in the Nallamal Hills, due to bad weather.

This morning, after almost 24-hours, the Indian search and rescue mission
found the wreckage of the ill-fated Bell 430 Chopper and the charred bodies of
all its passengers, pilot and co-pilot.

At about 9.30am Wednesday, the 60-year-old Reddy, had departed to Chittoor
district, about 600km from the capital Hyderabad, to meet rural folks and check
whether there was adequate water supply and proper distribution of ration cards
(to purchase essential items) in their area.

According to state-run Doordashan television, the chopper was believed to
have crashed about an hour after taking off but search and rescue efforts were
hampered since the area was covered with dense forest.

The bodies of Reddy, his special secretary P. Subramaniam, chief secretary
A.S.C. Wesley, Capt S.K. Bhatia (pilot) and his co-pilot M.S. Reddy were found
near the mangled chopper, about 40 miles from Kurnool district in the southern
state, reported Doordashan.

Reddy, a Congress party stalwart, was sworn in as Chief Minister for the
term 2009-2014, last May.

His funeral has been scheduled for Friday and his body would be placed at
the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad to enable the public to pay their last
respect.
--BERNAMA