An ONGC helicopter carrying nine people, including two pilots, fell overboard off the Mumbai coast while trying to land on a company rig in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard joined the rescue operation. He said that so far six out of nine people have been rescued. For the rescue of the passengers and crew of the ONGC helicopter, which was 60 nautical miles from Mumbai, the Navy sent Seaking and ALH helicopters as well as Indian Naval Ship Teg.
The Coast Guard also diverted a ship to reach the spot, while another ship left Mumbai with a despatch to join the rescue operation. The defense official said Coast Guard aircraft also downed life rafts for survivors and an international safety net was activated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (Mumbai).
The ONGC chopper was trying to land on the rig located about 50 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast when the incident took place. A company official said the helicopter fell into the sea about 1.5 km from the landing zone on the rig.
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The circumstances leading to the incident were not immediately clear. Other details are also awaited, he added. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has several rigs and installations in the Arabian Sea that produce oil and gas from reservoirs below the sea level.