Helicopter carrying Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde makes precautionary landing due to bad weather

NEW DELHI: The helicopter carrying chief minister of Maharashtra , Eknath Shinde , had to return to his native village in Satara district on Friday afternoon due to rainy weather . The chief minister and other passengers on board the helicopter were reported to be safe, according to officials.

Mangesh Chivate, Shinde's officer-on-special duty, said that the helicopter was en route to Pune from Dare village in Satara district when it encountered sudden rainfall. The village is situated along the bank of the Koyna Dam backwater, surrounded by the Sahyadri mountain ranges.

According to Satara's superintendent of police, Sameer Shaikh, "Weather was clear in Pune and Satara but after taking off, suddenly some clouds formed, there was no turbulence or emergency call by the pilot but as a precautionary measure pilot decided to take back the helicopter to the origin. The helicopter came back and landed within 5 minutes around 4 pm. Later Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde took the road route to travel to Pune Airport."

Although the weather was clear over Satara and Pune, the pilots decided to return to the helipad as a precautionary measure after noticing rain clouds in the distance. Following the incident, the chief minister continued his journey to Pune by car, as per his original schedule, which included a trip to Delhi from Pune, officials confirmed.