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A section of a newly constructed helipad in Kerala’s Pramadam collapsed after a helicopter carrying Indian President Droupadi Murmu landed there on Wednesday. The incident took place at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Pathanamthitta’s Pramadam, where the president was visiting Sabarimala. Despite the mishap, President Murmu proceeded to Pamba — the base area near Sabarimala — by road.
After the president left for Pamba, viral videos captured bizarre scenes at the stadium, showing officials manually pushing an Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter off a collapsed helipad, which drew widespread criticism and social media reactions. Someone quipped, “President Draupadi Murmu is experiencing firsthand the BJP’s space technology infrastructure, as her helicopter’s wheel got stuck on the brand-new helipad.”
Reports from Indian media indicated that the original landing site was supposed to be Nilackal near Pamba, but bad weather prompted a last-minute change to land at Pramadam instead.