The Dhruv helicopter flying in eastern Ladakh sector crashed this afternoon (File Photo)
The Lieutenant General who heads the Indian Army's 14 Corps based in Leh has survived a helicopter crash in Eastern Ladakh this afternoon. Lt General SK Upadhya was onboard the Army Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter which is believed to have encountered control-related issued at the Tsogstalu helipad in Eastern Ladakh at 1:30 this afternoon.
Lt General Upadhya was accompanied by Major General Savneet Singh who commands the Army's 3 Infantry Division based in Karu, approximately 40 kilometres from Leh.
Both pilots onboard the helicopter are also safe though some of the officers onboard the chopper have sustained minor injuries.
The Indian Army's Leh-based 14 Corps is a key formation of the Army responsible for defences along the Siachen glacier to the North and the Ladakh front to the East. In other words, the Corps defends India from threats emerging from both Pakistan and China.
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered by the Army to look into what resulted in the crash.
There have been 19 incidents involving the indigenous Dhruv helicopter after it was inducted by security forces in India and by the Ecuadorian Air Force since it entered service in 2002. The Army and Air Force depend heavily on the helicopter which is capable to operating at extreme altitudes in the Siachen and the Ladakh region.