An army helicopter crashed in
Tangail district on Monday morning, killing two army officers, including GOC of
55 Infantry Division Major General Rafiqul Islam, and injuring another, reports
UNB.
General Rafiq and pilot of the helicopter Lt Col Shahidul Islam died on the
spot while co-pilot Major Saif sustained serious injuries in the fatal mishap,
which came as a double shock when the nation still mourns the Peelkhana tragedy
in which a number of army officers were slain.
An ISPR press release in Dhaka
and local people said the Bell 206 helicopter of Army Aviation crashed after
hitting an electric wire at Rouha near Elenga in Kalihati upazila of the
district at about 7:50 am.
The accident took place while the
helicopter was flying to Mymensingh Cantonment from Jessore Cantonment to pick
up GOC of the 19th Infantry Division to attend a conference at the Army
Headquarters.
The witnesses say that the helicopter first crashed into a banyan tree after hitting 230-KV electric grid line and then nosedived into a pond-side adjacent to Rouha Government Primary School "with a big bang".