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Intensified search operations for missing Andhra CM resume | Search operations for missing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy resumed at the break of dawn on Thursday. State Government
sources said that they have narrowed down the search to a 20-square kilometer
radius in the Nallamalla Forest Range where they believe the seven-seat Bell helicopter
carrying the chief minister may have gone down on Wednesday at around 9.30 a.m.
Reddy's chopper went missing while he was on his way from Kurnool to Chittoor.
He is accompanied by his Principal Secretary S Subramanyam and Chief Security
Officer A S C Wesley. There were two pilots also on board the twin-engined Bell
430 helicopter that lost contact with Air Traffic Control at the Begumpet Airport
in Hyderabad when it was headed for Chittoor district, about 600 kilometres from
Hyderabad. Indian Space Research Organisation chief G. Madhavan Nair and his team
are monitoring a low flying remote sensing plane. Satellite images are being used
to try and trace the place. So far, 41 images have been taken but none of them
have revealed any information about the chief minister's whereabouts. As of now
the Indian Government has said that it has not requested the United States for
help in the matter, but has confirmed that the unmanned vehicle that is presently
deployed in the north eastern part of the country is being kept on standby. The
Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, Andhra
Police Greyhound commandos along with local police and district officials has
entered the Nallamalla Forests to launch the massive search and rescue operation
for Reddy. About 250 Army personnel with night vision devices have joined the
search operations. "We have deployed two columns and one Ghatak (jungle warfare
specialist) platoon in the area for searching the Chief Minister. Our troops are
equipped with night vision devices such as goggles and hand held thermal imagers,"
Army officials said. Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to arrive in
Hyderabad shortly to be with Reddy's anguished family members and to get a hands
on assessment of the search operation. She has already sent Union Law Minister
and Congress general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs Veerappa Moily
and Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chauhan
to the city to monitor developments. Chauhan told press persons that the State
and Central Governments are sparing no efforts to search for the chief minister.
Meanwhile, National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan has said that while both the
state and central governments are extremely concerned and worried about the missing
chief minister, all available resources are being deployed for the search. He
said Army and Air Force helicopters have been conducting a search of the region.
He also confirmed that two fixed-wing aircraft with synthetic aperture radar capabilities
have been pressed into service. Forces on the ground are also on the lookout for
the missing helicopter and its individuals. Narayanan said that the lack of communication
is a major problem and also ruled out the probability of a Naxal strike. "I don't
think the Naxals have the capability to bring down a helicopter," he said. "There
is no question about calling off the search till we discover what happened there.
We are hopeful we will find the Chief Minister, his chief secretary and PSO without
serious injuries," he added.
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