Emergency landing of Mamata Banerjee’s helicopter

Kolkata (IANS). The helicopter carrying West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to make an emergency landing at Army’s Sevak airbase near Siliguri soon after take off.

The Chief Minister addressed a public rally at Jalpaiguri on Tuesday afternoon. Thereafter, the helicopter carrying his personal security officer and a scribe took off from Kranti helipad in Jalpaiguri to Bagdogra airport in Darjeeling district.

The Chief Minister was to spend the night in Siliguri on Tuesday and take a flight from Bagdogra to Kolkata in the morning.

Sources said soon after take-off, the chopper carrying the chief minister faced uncertain conditions due to overcast sky and strong wind accompanied by heavy rain.

It is learned that the pilot had no clue when trying to find the right place to land the helicopter. The dense forest of Baikunthpur below added to the trouble.

However, luckily at the same time the airbase of the armed forces came into their sight. He immediately contacted the airbase authorities and got the helicopter landed there. The landing was safe and none of the passengers were injured.

Till the filing of the report, the Chief Minister’s convoy was going back to Bagdogra by road.