Military helicopters collide in mid-air, 9 dead

NEW DELHI - Reuters

An Indian police official (R) gestures as Indian Air Force personnel are picture near the wreckage of one of two crashed Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters following a mid-air collision on August 30, 2012. AFP Photo

Two military helicopters collided in mid-air during a training sortie over India's western state of Gujarat today, killing nine Air Force personnel, the government said.
 
Television pictures showed skeletal, charred remains of the Russian-made MI-17 multi-utility helicopters in what seemed like a sparsely populated area. The wreckage was surrounded by police, firefighters and military officials.
 
Officials quoted by media said the crash site was a military area near the Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat, a state bordering Pakistan. No casualties or loss of property on the ground was reported.
 
The country's military has been plagued by often fatal accidents due to obsolete hardware.. More than half of the 872 MiG fighters India bought from Moscow since the early 1960s have crashed.
 
India plans to spend about $100 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade largely Soviet-era military equipment.