Arunachal CM killed in Helicopter crash

The ministry of external affairs confirmed on Wednesday that Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu has been killed in a Helicopter crash. SM Krishna said he is deeply pained by the demise of Dorjee Khandu. Three bodies were on Wednesday sighted along with wreckage of an aircraft at a place on the path the helicopter carrying Dorjee Khandu and four others had taken. Earlier in the day, breaking information that is "not encouraging and not good news", 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.
The chopper, carrying Khandu and four others, had crashed between Kyela and Lobothang near Tawang district five days ago. The Pawan Hans AS350 B-3 helicopter carrying the chief minister took off from Tawang at 9.50 am on Saturday. The last radio contact with the ground was about 20 minutes after take off as it flew over the Sela Pass along the Chinese border perched at an altitude of 13,700 feet. There were about 3,500 personnel deployed in the search operations. The chopper had taken off from Tawang at 9:56 am on Sunday and was suppose to land at Itanagar at 11:30 am. It was last sighted at Sela Pass, 20 minutes after taking off from Tawang. Dorjee Khandu was born on March 3, 1955 and joined politics in 1980. Khandu first became chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh on April 9, 2007. He became chief minister for the second time on October 25, 2009.