A helicopter that dropped cricket all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, his wife Umme Ahmed Shishir and daughter Elina Hassan Avree at a resort at Inani, crashed on the beach in the Bay of Bengal, on Friday morning.
One person was killed and four others were wounded as the chopper– Robinson R66 Turbine Helicopter– crashed within a few minutes of taking off in the shallow water of the Bay, said Md. Abul Maleque, an assistant superintendent of police of Ukhiya circle of Cox’s Bazar.
The chopper was flying back to Dhaka from Inani, 30 kilometres off the Cox’s Bazar beach town, a favourite tourist destination, around 9:30am when it crashed, police and witnesses said.
The cricketer flew there for shooting of a commercial of Eagle Bay advertising firm.
The reason behind the accident could not be known yet. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh formed a two member probe committee headed by a retired group captain, M Abu Zafar.
The committee is expected to submit its primary report within 30 days. The members of the probe team already visited the crash scene, according to Chowdhury Mohammad Zia-ul-Kabir, director of Flight Safety and Regulations of CAAB.
The victim was identified as Mohammad Shah Alam, 40, an accountant of ‘Eagle Bay’ advertising firm, police said.
He was declared dead at Cox’s Bazar General Hospital, resident medical officer Sultan Ahmad Siraji told New Age. He said the man died from a cerebral haemorrhage.
Locals and members of Border Guard Bangladesh rescued the crew and passengers of the helicopter of Dhaka-based Meghna Aviation Limited, a sister organisation of Meghna Group of Company, said Md. Abul Maleque, the assistant superintendent of police.
All of them were rushed to Fouad Al-Khateeb Hospital in Cox’s Bazar town from where Mohammad Shah Alam was taken to Cox’s Bazar General Hospital.
The assistant superintendent of police told New Age that the chopper took off at Royal Tulip resort after dropping the famous cricketer and his family members.
Manufactured by Robinson Helicopter Company, the 1,225 kilogram chopper is a five-seater and transports up to 420 kilograms of weight.
That helicopter crashed on the west side of Sonarpara Bazar under Ukhiya police station. It was not salvaged as of filing this report at 9:30pm.
Nearby fishermen and tourists rushed to the spot and helped BGB personnel– who have an outpost in Inani– rescuing the pilot and the riders and sending them to hospital.
The injured were identified as pilot Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman, Sarifur Islam and his two sons Alam and Sagar. All of them took first aid at Cox’s Bazar sadar hospital and were later released.
The pilot of the aborted chopper Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman already left Cox’s Bazar by a Bangladesh Biman flight on Friday afternoon for Dhaka.
Speaking to New Age over mobile phone, Shakib said he is doing fine and is busy in commercial shooting at the beach town.
Cox’s Bazar General Hospital’s resident medical officer said that a post-mortem examination of the dead man was done.
Source: New Age
