Charikot, Dolakha, Feb. 11:Maoist insurgents put ablaze Ananya Air’s MI-17 9N-ADC helicopter Thursday midnight at Jiri Airport at Linkon, Dolakha, police sources claim.

Deputy Superintendent of Police with Dolakha District Police Office Bijaya Lal Kayastha said that the helicopter was bound to Solukhumbu. “The cargo chopper flew from Kathmandu earlier yesterday and stopped at the Jiri airport for the night,” DSP Kayastha said.

The helicopter was loaded with Rs. 500,000 worth of plywood, refrigerator, metal sheets, door and window frames and furniture. The owner of the cargo is learned to be Nurbu Sherpa of Lukla, Solukhumbu.

Police sources further said that a group of nine Maoist insurgents forced their way into the airport at 12:15 midnight and overpowered the four guards on duty. “They smashed the windscreens and then threw explosives inside the helicopter; fire started immediately after the explosion,” sources claim.

“When the helicopter was put ablaze, the freed airport guards informed the police about the incident and a group of police personnel was immediately dispatched to the site of the incident. The insurgents and police even exchanged fire for sometime, however no one sustained injury. Later the insurgents escaped to those of Ramechhap district,” DSP Kayastha informed.

“Firstly the insurgents forced us to lie face down and when they aflamed the helicopter they told us to run if we valued our lives,” said one of the four guards.

The loaded cargo was completely destroyed while only the main rotor blades and some part of tail boom remained unaffected. The Ananya Air sources say that one 9N-ADC helicopter cost around Rs. 120 million.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Sahabir Thapa inspected the site of incident this morning. A press release issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said that a team of the technical experts also inspected the site of the incident today.