Naval plane crashes near Goa, two missing

Panaji: A Dornier surveillance aircraft of the Indian Navy with three personnel on board crashed into the Arabian sea, some 20 miles off the coast of Goa late on Tuesday, officials said.

One of them was rescued and two others, including a woman, have gone missing, a naval official said on Wednesday. The aircraft was from Squadron 301 of the Indian Navy base at INS Hansa near Dabolim in Goa.


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It was on a training sortie, the official added.

“Commander Nikhil Joshi has been rescued by fishermen in the area. The search is on for the pilot and observer. We have pressed six naval ships and four aircraft to rescue them,” a naval spokesperson said.

The naval air station at Goa lost communication with the aircraft at 10:02 p.m., the spokesperson said. A Board of Inquiry has into the incident has been initiated.

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