Raipur(PTI): A Chhattisgarh government helicopter crashed at the Raipur airport on Thursday night, killing two pilots, police said.

The incident took place during a flying practice at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur under Mana police station limits at around 9:10 pm, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prashant Agrawal.

Two pilots on board the chopper were seriously injured in the crash and immediately taken to a nearby private hospital where they were declared dead, said the SSP.

The deceased were identified as Captian Gopal Krishna Panda and Captain A P Shrivastava, said the police officer. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

A detailed technical investigation at the behest of civil aviation regulator DGCA and the state government shall be undertaken to ascertain the exact cause, said senior officials.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed grief over the tragedy and condoled the death of the pilots.

Baghel tweeted, just got sad news about a state helicopter crashing at the airport in Raipur. In this tragic accident, both our pilots Captain Panda and Captain Shrivastava passed away. May God give strength to their family members and peace to the departed soul. Governor Anusuiya Uikey also paid tributes to the pilots who died in the accident and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.

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New Delhi (PTI): A 32-year-old barber was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly beating a man to death following an altercation over a 'bidi' in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar area, police said.

A call regarding the incident that occurred near the bus stand road in Shashi Garden was received at 1.24 am, they said.

The victim was identified as Deepak (28), while the accused was Manoj, he added.

According to the police, during an argument, the accused picked up a wooden stick lying nearby and struck the victim repeatedly on the head. Multiple injuries and bruise marks were also found on the victim's forehead.

"Deepak was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead," an officer said.

An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway, the officer added.