Woman co-pilot of crashed Coast Guard chopper dead
Mumbai: An injured woman co-pilot of an Indian Coast Guard helicopter which had crash landed in Raigad on March 10, has succumbed to her injuries, an official said here on Wednesday.
Hailing from Haryana, Assistant Commandant, Capt. Penny Chaudhary, was on life support system after she sustained severe trauma injuries, and breathed her last on Tuesday evening at the INHS Asvini naval hospital, said Indian Coast Guard spokesperson Commandant Avinandan Mitra.
She suffered head injuries coupled with internal bleeding after a Coast Guard helicopter crashed near Murud in Raigad in Maharashtra, 18 days ago and the rotor hit her head.
At that time, before it developed a technical snag, the ill-fated chopper was on a routine sortie with four people on board, including Deputy Commandant Balwinder Singh, Asst. Commandant Penny Chaudhary and two divers.
Using sheer presence of mind and professionalism, she manoeuvred the chopper away from a populated area of Murud town, to make a safe landing in a rocky portion of the beach.
Not only did she save the lives of the other crew members on board, but also averted what could have been potential disaster if the chopper had crashed on the populated regions of Murud, famed for its beaches, seafood, forts and resorts.
Though she managed to escape from the crashed chopper, she was hit on her helmet by the slow-moving rotor blade soon after it landed on the rocky Nadagram beach.
A native of Karnal in Haryana, Chaudhary had joined the ICG in December 2013 and recorded 555 hours of flying to her credit.
"She was a brilliant, soft-spoken officer, who was popular among her colleagues for her professionalism and social conduct. The young officer will be deeply remembered for by the ICG fraternity for her commendable devotion to duty and selfless service towards the nation," said Mitra in a tribute.
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Champions Trophy schedule: India, Pakistan in same group; to clash on Feb 23 in Dubai
Dubai, Dec 24: India will play all their matches of the Champions Trophy in Dubai with the marquee clash against arch-rivals Pakistan scheduled on February 23, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday.
PTI had reported last week that India will play all their matches in Dubai including the semifinal and final if they qualify.
As has been the case with ICC events, India and Pakistan have been clubbed in the same group which also have New Zealand and Bangladesh.
Group B comprises South Africa, Australia, Afghanistan and England.
The tournament opener will be played in Karachi on February 19 when hosts Pakistan face New Zealand and the final is scheduled for March 9. The premier 50-over event, last played in 2017, will have 15 matches with at least 10 games scheduled in Pakistan.
Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi will be the three hosting venues in Pakistan with the second semifinal to be staged at the refurbished Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
"Lahore will also host the final on 9 March, unless India qualify, in which case it will be played in Dubai. Both the semi-finals and the final will have reserve days," said the ICC in a statement.
India will open their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 before taking on Pakistan three days later. Their final league fixture will be against New Zealand on March 2.
Group B action begins on February 21 when Afghanistan square up against South Africa in Karachi.
A big weekend then kicks off with rivals England and Australia clashing in Lahore on February 22.
The eight sides in the Champions Trophy are the teams that finished in the top eight in the points table at ODI World Cup in India last year.
The ICC has kept reserve days for both the semifinals and the final.
The schedule was announced after a deadlock over the hosting of the tournament ended with the ICC keeping India's games at a neutral venue as desired while having a similar arrangement for Pakistan for ICC events in India till 2027.
The hybrid arrangement will also apply to the 2025 women's ODI World Cup in India and the T20 World Cup in 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
India had refused to travel to Pakistan for the event due to security concerns. The Indians have not played in Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 150 people were killed.
The two countries' last bilateral engagement was back in 2012. Travelling to Pakistan also requires Indian government's clearance, which has remained firm on the status quo.
While the BCCI's stance was always clear, the matter got stretched because of the PCB's refusal to allow a "one-sided" arrangement of neutral venues.
PCB, which had sent its team to India for the ODI World Cup last year, had categorically opposed the hybrid model but eventually agreed to it on reciprocal grounds.
Check out the full fixtures for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. pic.twitter.com/oecuikydca
— ICC (@ICC) December 24, 2024
