Nine killed as Indian choppers collide

 

Two military helicopters have collided in mid-air in western India, killing nine Indian Air Force personnel.

Air Force spokesman Wing Commander Gerard Galway says the two Mi-17 helicopters were "flying in close formation" over a firing range in the state of Gujarat when they crashed.
"It is likely it was a mid-air collision," he said, confirming that all nine on board the two aircraft had died.
He says an inquiry will establish exactly how Thursday's accident occurred.
An air official who did not want to be named said the two Russian-designed helicopters were practising firing over the range near a military airbase in Jamnagar district when the accident happened.
Jamnagar police chief Harikrishna Patil told AFP the aircraft appeared to have collided before they came down in cotton fields near a village.
"One of the helicopters also caught fire after hitting a high-tension power cable," he said.
The country's military has been plagued by often fatal accidents due to obsolete hardware.
More than half of the 872 MiG fighters India bought from Moscow since the early 1960s have crashed.
India plans to spend about $100 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade largely Soviet-era military equipment.