Indian state minister dies in helicopter crash

The chief minister of the north-east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh was confirmed dead yesterday, five days after the helicopter in which he was travelling vanished off the radar.

The body of Dorjee Khandu was recovered after the helicopter's wreckage was found in a densely forested area in the Himalayan foothills. Five others were also killed in the crash.

The helicopter lost radio contact on Saturday about 20 minutes after taking off from the Buddhist retreat of Tawang near the Chinese border.