*Jammu:* A Conspiracy or a technical snag? INDIAN Army top Sikh Generalwitness a Miracle escape.

Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh sustained injuries after ahelicopter carrying them crash-landed in Jammu’s Poonch district onThursday following a technical snag, officials said.

“The army commander was visiting units in Poonch sector when the AdvancedLight Helicopter (ALH) developed a technical snag and crash-landed thisafternoon,” Brigadier General Staff (BGS) RK Suresh told *PTI*.[image: Army chopper crashes in J&K due to technical snag; Northern Armycommander Lt-Gen Ranbir Singh, six others suffer injuries]

File image of Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh. PTI

The incident occurred on the banks of a river in Bedar area.

The official said that all seven passengers and crew members in the choppersustained minor injuries and they were evacuated to the Command Hospital,Udhampur, where they were kept under observation, he said.

He said that they had sustained blunt and superficial injuries but theywere stable and out of danger.

“It is a miracle”, said one officer, while noting the damage caused to thechopper, pictures of which had gone viral on social media.

Local villagers, who arrived first on the scene, also assisted the Army inthe evacuation of those injured, the BGS said, adding, “We salute them”.

A defence spokesman had said earlier in a statement, “A helicopter withArmy Commander Northern Command on board, has executed a forced landing onaccount of technical snag in general area of Poonch.”

The army general and others were taken to a nearby army medical centre foran examination first, and later flown to Udhampur based northern commandhospital, the officials said.

Lt Gen Singh was on a visit to the forward areas of XVI corps which hasbeen witnessing cross border shelling from Pakistan side quite regularlythese days.