3 hurt in Ctg BAF chopper crash

At least three people, including the pilot, were injured after an air force chopper crash-landed at Chittagong city airport today.

Pilot Safayet, a squadron leader, sustained major injuries and was being flown to Dhaka for treatment, our Chittagong correspondent reports.

Mohammad Quamaruzzaman, assistant commissioner of immigration police at Shah Amanat International Airport, confirmed the crash and said the setback did not hamper airport operations.

Bangladesh Air Force chopper MI 17 crashed at landing on the airport’s runway around 11:10am. A reliable insider told The Daily Star that the craft had caught fire.

The helicopter crash lands just beside the runway. Photo: Star

According to Quamruzzaman, pilot Safayet sustained burn injuries. He was taken to Combined Military Hospital (CMH). Co-pilot Fuad attended treatments at Chittagong air force hospital.

Flight engineer Sergeant Ferdous was also later flown to Dhaka CMH from Chittagong air force hospital.

Pilot Safayet received 70 percent burn injuries, a highly placed airport official told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.

“It’s not a training chopper but for today it was engaged in training purpose”, the official said adding that chopper was put to multipurpose use often.