A part of a newly constructed helipad in Kerala’s Pramadam collapsed soon after Indian President Droupadi Murmu’s helicopter landed there on Wednesday.
The incident took place at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Pathanamthitta’s Pramadam, where the president had arrived to visit Sabarimala.
Never seen like this before — a helicopter being pushed by hand! Part of the helipad tarmac sank as the chopper carrying President Droupadi Murmu landed in Kerala, india. pic.twitter.com/8gbHww7Cw1
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) October 22, 2025
After the ground caved in, President Murmu continued her journey to Pamba, the foothills of Sabarimala, by road.
Soon after she left, videos from the site went viral showing officials manually pushing the Indian Air Force’s Mi-17 helicopter off the damaged helipad. The clips sparked a wave of criticism and jokes across social media.
President Draupadi Murmu gets the first hand experience of BJP’s Space Technology Infrastructure as the wheel of her helicopter got stuck in the newly constructed helipad.
pic.twitter.com/V2QIOmvQO6— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) October 22, 2025
One user wrote, “President Droupadi Murmu just got a firsthand experience of the BJP’s infrastructure. Her helicopter’s wheel got stuck in a newly built helipad.”
Indian media reported that the president was originally supposed to land at Nilackal near Pamba, but the plan was changed to Pramadam because of bad weather.
