Itanagar, May 1 (IANS) Bad weather Sunday forced the Indian Air Force (IAF) to suspend search for the helicopter with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu as Indian and Bhutanese soldiers fanned out in the hilly terrain to trace the chopper that went missing Saturday morning.
The IAF had initially planned to press two MI-17 helicopters from Tawang near the China border, but only one could take off.
"Only one MI 17 helicopter managed to make two sorties from Tawang but returned due to bad weather," Ranjeeb Sahoo, IAF spokesman at the Eastern Air Command headquarters in Shillong, told IANS.
Two Cheetah helicopters were also supposed to take off from Tezpur in Assam but were held up due to bad weather.
"We are ready to go as and when the sky is clear," Sahoo said.
Meanwhile, Bhutanese troops searched the rough terrain for any sign of the Pawan Hans chopper that went missing Saturday with the chief minister and four others.
"We have launched an operation by deploying troops and locals to track the Indian helicopter in our territory," S. Duba, deputy commissioner of Trashiyangtse district in Bhutan that adjoins Tawang, told IANS by phone.
Two satellites from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have taken imageries of the area.
"We hope to get their report by the evening. This could provide us vital clues," adviser to the chief minister Kiren Rijiju told IANS.
The Pawan Hans AS350 B-3 helicopter lost contact with ground control after taking off from Tawang at 9.50 a.m. Saturday.
The last communication was at 10.15 a.m. as it flew over the Sela Pass along the Chinese border, perched at an altitude of 13,700 feet.
"We are hoping against hope to get some news about the helicopter and its occupants. Prayers are being held in all the Buddhist monasteries for some good news," Congress legislator from Tawang Tsewang Dhondup told IANS.
Dhondup's younger sister Yeshmi Lamu is the lone woman occupant in the helicopter.
"She was in the helicopter for some medical checkup in Itanagar," he said.
Besides Khandu and Lamu, the others on board included crew members Captain J.S. Babbar and Captain K.S. Malick and Khandu's security officer Yeshi Choddak.
Meanwhile, two central ministers, Mukul Wasnik and V. Narayanasamy, have arrived in Itanagar to oversee the search operations following a directive from the prime minister.
"Everybody is praying for the chief minister and the others," civil rights leader Baman Felix said.
He wanted to know why the Arunachal Pradesh governor made "an irresponsible statement" Saturday that the chopper had safely landed -- news that turned out to be false.
The misleading statement was attributed both to Governor Gen (retd) J.J. Singh and state chief secretary.
There were also reports of the chopper landing somewhere in eastern Bhutan, adjoining Tawang district. Bhutan denied this.
The helicopter carrying Khandu was a single-engine chopper. In case of an engine failure, there are slim chances of the helicopter making a safe landing.
"We have not been able to contact our pilots," a Pawan Hans official said in Guwahati.
The incident comes just days after another Pawan Hans helicopter crashed in Tawang April 19, killing 17 people and injuring six.
The Pawan Hans Helicopter Services Ltd (PHHL) has been operating five helicopters across Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura and daily Guwahati-Tawang services for nine years. It is one of the major lifelines of the landlocked Arunachal Pradesh.