By IANS,
Guwahati : Two Assam ministers had a miraculous escape Thursday as the helicopter in which they were travelling for election campaigning made an emergency landing at the Guwahati airport following a major technical snag.
Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain, along with Assam Youth Congress president Pijush Hazarika, were returning to Guwahati after addressing an election meeting in Nagaon district of eastern Assam when the four-seater helicopter developed a snag mid-air.
“There was a loud noise and the co-pilot asked us to fasten our seat belts and the helicopter suddenly began losing altitude and landed on a grassy area in the airport with a big thud,” Hazarika told IANS.
“It was a close shave after the helicopter developed some problems over Guwahati. All of us are safe and sound,” the health minister said.
Fire tenders and ambulances were on standby at the airport after the Air Traffic Control was alerted ahead of the emergency landing.
The helicopter chartered by the Congress party for the election campaign belonged to MESCO Airlines Ltd, a private helicopter charter company.