All nine Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, including five officers, on board two MI-17 helicopters were killed on Thursday when two choppers collided mid-air shortly after take off from an air base here.

The Russian-made choppers were on a training sortie.

Footage on television showed the helicopters flying almost parallel to each other and then their upper rotors colliding. While one of them went down, the tail portion of the other broke sending it into a spin before crashing. Both of them caught fire in the impact.

“Nine IAF personnel, five officers and four other ranks have been killed in the crash near Sarmat firing range, 15 km from Jamnagar city,” an IAF spokesperson said in New Delhi.

The dead included three Wing Commanders, a Squadron Leader and a Flight Lieutenant, he said.

The spokesperson said that a court of inquiry had been ordered to determine the reasons behind the crash.

This is the fourth crash involving IAF aircraft this year, but this is the first time two of its helicopters have collided mid-air. Sixteen years ago, two passenger planes had collided mid-air killing over 300 people over Charkhi Dadri in Haryana.

Asked why the choppers were flying so close to each other, the spokesperson said that the training mission involved such flying.

Indian Air Force officers, police officials and Jamnagar municipal corporation fire brigade reached the spot shortly after the crash. Fire brigade personnel doused the burning wreckage.

Defence Minister A.K Antony expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

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