Sri Vijaya Puram, February 24 A Pawan Hans helicopter carrying seven people, including two crew members, crashed into the sea just 300 metres away from its scheduled landing at the Mayabunder helipad in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Tuesday, and all of them were rescued, officials said.
The crash occurred around 9.30 am, after the helicopter took off from Rangat in the North and Middle Andaman district, they said.
All five passengers and the two crew members, rescued from mid-sea, have been admitted to a hospital, one of the officials said.
"The helicopter crashed into the sea around 9.30 am. An initial investigation revealed that there was a technical problem, and the pilot made a crash landing in the sea," a senior Civil Aviation official said.
An investigation has been initiated, he said.
"On February 24, 2026, the PHL Dauphin N3 helicopter (VT PHY) took off from Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) at around 8.30 am for a passenger flight from Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) to Rangat and further to Mayabunder.
"The helicopter landed at the Rangat helipad around 9.05 am. It then took off from Rangat to Mayabunder at around 9.10 am. The helicopter crashed about 300 metres short of the Mayabunder helipad in the sea (shallow water) at around 9.30 am," Pawan Hans Ltd, a central public sector undertaking based in Noida, said on X.
Five passengers and two crew members were on board, it said.
"All passengers and crew members have been safely retrieved. PHL is actively coordinating with all relevant agencies," the helicopter operator said.
Civil Aviation Director Nitesh Rawat said, "We are yet to take the statement of the pilot. All injured persons are undergoing treatment at Dr Rajendra Prasad Hospital in Mayabunder. We are trying to bring the injured people to Sri Vijaya Puram."
North and Middle Andaman Deputy Commissioner Sushant Padha said that the rescue team, the police, forest personnel, and the Coast Guard acted promptly and rescued all seven people.
"Those who were travelling in the helicopter are Rajita Devi, Kamala Chandra Das, Shipra Saha, Nambi Amma, and two pilots, Captain Anil Janu and Captain TPS Gulia. One child is yet to be identified. All are safe," he said.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands DGP Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal commended the Police Marine Force for their quick response and rescuing all the passengers and the crew members from mid-sea.
"We are assessing the ground situation, and our priority is to provide assistance to the injured ones," he said.
