The businessman was travelling from his house in Kochi to a hospital
A private helicopter carrying businessman Yusuf Ali – chairman of LuLu Group, his wife and three others crashlanded in a marshy plot off the NH Bypass at Panangad near here on Sunday morning, reportedly following technical snag in inclement weather.
None of them was injured and have been placed under observation at a private hospital nearby. The pilot, co-pilot and others walked through hip-deep water, helped by people of the locality, and were taken in vehicles to a Lakeshore Hospital nearby, which was founded by Mr. Yusuf Ali. He is in the hospital and is cheerful, hospital sources said.
Mr Ali and others had boarded the helicopter that bore the logo of his group, from his house in Kochu Kadavanthra, to call on a relative who was admitted in the hospital. It was slated to land in the ground of Fisheries College, Panangad but landed on the marshy plot around 200 m away.
Sources in Panangad Police Station, located a stone’s throw away from the spot said it was a safe landing, although the busy NH Bypass, power lines and a transit mixer were located nearby. The pilot steered clear of these potential hazards and managed to land the helicopter within the compound wall of a vacant marshy plot.
A statement issued by LuLu Group said that the helicopter made an emergency landing at a safe place, due to sudden deterioration of weather conditions and heavy rains, to prevent any risk to life of those on board and to the public at large.
The helicopter will be removed from the plot in a day or two and police personnel are on duty there, sources said.
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