Alappuzha: The funeral of the Malayali Coast Guard pilot, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Gujarat, will be held at a private crematorium at Mavelikkara in Alappuzha by 6.30 pm on Wednesday.

Vipin Babu (39), a Senior Deputy Commandant with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), died on Tuesday after the helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea off the Porbandar coast during a rescue operation.

Vipin's body was transported from Gujarat to the Cochin International Airport in an ICG helicopter on Wednesday and then taken to Mavelikkara in a Navy ambulance with a police escort. Public homage will be held from 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm at Vipin’s residence at Mavelikkara prior to the funeral rites. He came home for the last time three months ago.

The incident happened on Monday night after the ICG launched an operation around 11 pm to evacuate an injured crew member on board a tanker sailing close to Porbandar, said an official statement. The bodies of Commandant Vipin Babu and diver Karan Singh were recovered on Tuesday night while a search is still on to trace another pilot, Rakesh Rana, said Coast Guard spokesperson Amit Uniyal.