Indian workers to strike after helicopter crash

Rescuers have found the wreckage of a helicopter that crashed off India's west coast yesterday, killing up to 27 people.

Rescuers have found the wreckage of a helicopter that crashed off India's west coast yesterday, killing up to 27 people.

Staff at the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) will strike tomorrow because they have been warning about lax safety procedures at the company for some time.

Three people are confirmed dead and 24 remain missing a day after the Russian-built MI-172 helicopter chartered by ONGC fell into the sea minutes after leaving a rig in the Neelam field near Bombay.

A ONGC spokeswoman said the helicopter was found at a depth of 50 metres and less than 200 metres from the rig.

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So far, only two of the 25 passengers and four crew on board have been found alive.

Workers at ONGC, India's largest oil exploration company, have declared an indefinite strike over the crash, accusing the company of ignoring long-standing safety concerns.

"We served notice for the strike last night to the ONGC management and the minister," said Mr LK Mirchandani, president of the Association of Scientific and Technical Officers at ONGC.

The strike threat is in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling last week that government workers had no right to strike.

Several unions across the country have also threatened a separate strike from tomorrow over the court ruling.