NEW DELHI: A helicopter carrying President Droupadi Murmu faced an unexpected incident when a portion of the helipad tarmac at Pramadam Stadium in Kerala sank after landing on Wednesday during her official four-day visit to the state, where she was scheduled to offer prayers at the Sabarimala temple.
Quick action was taken by police and fire department personnel, who manually pushed the aircraft away from the sunken area to ensure safety after the helipad surface partially caved in moments after touchdown, according to news agency PTI.
President Murmu's Kerala visit began on October 21 and will conclude on October 24. She arrived at Thiruvananthapuram Airport on Tuesday, where she received a formal welcome from state officials.
"Governor of Kerala Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri George Kurian received President Droupadi Murmu on her arrival at Thiruvananthapuram," stated the President's official X account.
"Warmly welcomed Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, on her visit to Kerala. Her presence was a great honour for the State and our people," Kerala CM Vijayan posted on X.
The President's itinerary includes performing darshan and aarti at the Sabarimala Temple on October 22.
On October 23, she unveiled former President K.R. Narayanan's bust at Raj Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. She also inaugurated the Mahasamadhi Centenary observance of Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, and attended the valedictory function of St. Thomas College's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Palai.
Her schedule for October 24 includes attending the centenary celebrations of St. Teresa's College in Ernakulam.
A BJP delegation, led by party's Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, met with President Murmu at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. According to a party release, they discussed various public concerns, including the Sabarimala gold theft incident.
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