Tezpur (Assam): The search and rescue operation has been called off with the recovery of the fifth body in the helicopter crash case in Arunachal Pradesh. The search and rescue operation in the helicopter crash in Arunachal Pradesh on October 21 has come to an end with the recovery of the fifth and final body, an army spokesman said on Saturday. Public Relations Officer (PRO) (Tezpur) said that the Indian Army and Air Force ended the search on Saturday after recovering the bodies of the fifth Army personnel aboard the Updated Light Helicopter (AHL) that crashed on Friday.

As per reports, three Army personnel were conducting the operation on foot, while one MI17 and two ALH helicopters were pressed into service to locate the jawans. The Indian Army Aviation Advance Light Helicopter (Weapon Systems Integrated) - ALH WSI, based at Likabali (Assam), carrying five personnel on board, crashed near Singing village at 10:43 am on Friday. It is 25 kms from Tuting headquarter in Upper. On Friday, the helicopter took off from Likabali in Lower Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh's Siang district.

Earlier the Defense PRO had said that the bodies of four Army personnel have been recovered and one is reported missing in the accident. Officials said the Court of Inquiry set up to probe the accident would focus on the 'May Day' call received by the Air Traffic Control (ATC), which suggested a technical or mechanical failure in the helicopter.

Prior to the accident, Air Traffic Control (ATC) had received a May Day call suggesting a technical or mechanical failure, the release said. The Defense PRO said in a statement that this will become the focus of the Court of Inquiry, which has been constituted immediately to investigate the cause of the accident. Earlier this year on October 5, an Indian Army pilot was killed in a Cheetah helicopter crash near Tawang area of ​​Arunachal Pradesh.