Mumbai: A Malayali was among the three killed in the helicopter crash in Pune, Maharashtra. Girish Kumar Pillai, a native of Kundara, Kollam, was a retired Air Force pilot.

The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday morning when the helicopter crashed and caught fire. The aircraft, operated by a Delhi-based private aviation company, had taken off from the Oxford Golf Course helipad and was en route to Juhu in Mumbai.

Preliminary reports confirmed that the victims included two pilots and an engineer. The crash took place at approximately 7.40 am in a hilly area near Bavdhan, close to the Oxford Golf Course, according to the police.

Besides Girish, the other deceased are Pritam Singh Bhardwaj and Paramjeet Singh, according to Anil Dimle, fire officer at the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Investigations into the cause of the incident are currently underway.