Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Found DEAD

Missing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy is feared dead in the helicopter crash, Congress sources said.

According to the sources, all the five bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of helicopter.
However, official confirmation in this regard will be made in a short while.
Principal Secretary of Andhra Pradesh P Subrahmanyam, helicopter pilot Captain S.K. Bhatia, co-pilot Captain M.S. Reddy and Chief Security officer of the Chief Minister ASC Wesley were among feared dead.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajshekhera Reddy and four others are feared dead after their Bell 430 chopper crash-landed about 40 nautical miles east of the Kurnool mountaineous area.

Congress sources said that they had received reports of five bodies being discovered at the crash site, and added that an official confirmation would be forthcoming in short while. Among the dead are Reddy, his principal secretary, his personal security officer and two pilots.

Earlier, Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said the chopper was in a very damaged state.

The Home Ministry had ordered paratroopers to immediately airdrop themselves at the location to determine the exact physical status of Reddy and the four others.

The State Government is due to address a press conference in a short while to formally confirm the news of his death.

The Congress party is reported to be in a state of shock and the Union Cabinet is meeting to discuss the next steps. (ANI)

Andhra Pradesh CM Rajashekhar Reddy's chopper was declared untraceable after his chopper made an emergency landing in Atmakur area of Kurnool district on Wednesday afternoon. Officials said that the chopper had landed safely in a playground but the whereabouts of the CM are being kept under wraps as it is a naxalite-infested area and the Nallamalla forests-the stronghold of Maoists-are closeby.
The CM is on a three-district tour and was proceeding towards Chittor for an inauguration function when the chopper apparently went off the radar of air traffic control tower at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad. The Bell 430 chopper with call sign VTAPG lost contact with the ATC at 79 nautical miles from Begumpet and was in visual flying range.
Sources said that the Kurnool District Collector called up the ATC to say a chopper has landed on an open field near Bhanucharla village. However, there was no communication from the pilot or the officials accompanying the CM about their whereabouts.
Two choppers have taken off from Hyderabad, four from Bengaluru and one Navy chopper from Chennai, to ascertain whether if it is the CM's chopper that has landed in the field.
Kurnool District officials said that the area where the chopper seems to have landed is Naxal-infested and thus the whereabouts of the CM are being kept a secret. Additional DGP, Law and Order, A K Khan said that the CM is safe.
State DGP S S P Yadav and Intelligence Chief Aravinda Rao and Chief Secretary Ramakanth Reddy are supervising the operations to trace the missing chopper. All police stations in Kurnool district were put on a high alert.

 

Sources : IndianExpress