Indian Air Force Helicopter Crashes, Killing 7

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/26/world/asia/indian-air-force-helicopter-crashes-killing-7.html

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NEW DELHI — An Indian Air Force helicopter exploded and crashed in northern India on Friday, possibly after hitting a high-voltage electrical cable, killing all seven people aboard, the authorities announced.

J. P. Singh, chief administrator of Sitapur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, said villagers saw the helicopter “burning, exploding with a loud noise and falling on the ground like a huge fireball.” He said that the aircraft was full of fuel, and that the explosion occurred in an area where there was a high-tension wire used for carrying electrical power.

The accident took place over an open field on the outskirts of the village of Himmatpurwa. The Indian Air Force has been plagued by frequent crashes of fighter planes and helicopters and now has a shortage of aircraft.