Flood rescue helicopter crashes amid floods in India

An air force helicopter returning from a rescue mission in flood-ravaged northern India hit the side of a mountain and fell into a river today, killing eight people, officials said.

Bad weather has hampered rescue efforts in Uttarakhand state, where more than 1,000 people are believed to have died and thousands of others remain stranded in remote areas from landslides and floods triggered by torrential monsoon rains. Other air force helicopters were unable to take off due to poor visibility, Group Capt Sandeep Mehta said.