All Onboard Army Chopper That Crashed In Arunachal Dead, 5th Body Located

The Air Traffic Control (ATC) had received a 'may day' call right before the crash, suggesting a technical or mechanical failure, the Army said.

All Army personnel in the helicopter that crashed in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Siang district on Friday are dead, sources confirmed after the fifth body was reportedly located today.

The Air Traffic Control (ATC) had received a 'may day' call right before the crash, suggesting a technical or mechanical failure, the Army said, adding that the weather was clear, and the pilots were experienced. However, the terrain is "extremely challenging" in terms of hills with steep gradients and thick jungle, the army said in a statement.

'May Day' call refers to a distress signal conveyed to an aircraft crew to the ATC or ground staff.

"The pilots had more than 600 combined flying hours on ALH-WSI and over 1800 service flying hours between them. The aircraft was inducted into service in June 2015," it said.