DUBAI // The bodies of two Indian oil workers killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of Dubai this month have been sent back to their country, friends and family members said yesterday. Julius Pereira, who worked for Noble Drilling, and Jayant Ingale, an employee of Baker Hughes, were among seven men who died when their Bell 212 helicopter operated by Dubai-based Aerogulf Services crashed into an oil rig shortly after take-off on Sept 3.
Friends of to Mr Ingale said his body was flown out of Dubai on Sunday night and has been received by his family in the western Indian city of Pune. The family of Mr Pereira, who also live in Pune, said they received his body yesterday and were in the process of preparing for the funeral. His brother had come to Dubai to complete the formalities and take the body home. The other five victims were Christopher Brown, a British helicopter pilot, and his co-pilot Luis Lovera, from Venezuela, Adam Duff from Britain, Diosdado Buhangin from the Philippines and Shuja Ur Rehman from Pakistan.
The companies for which the dead men worked were contracted by Dubai Petroleum, the owner of the oil rig where the crash occurred. Dubai Petroleum has issued no information about the cause of the crash. An investigation by Dubai Police is under way. pmenon@thenational.ae