Condition of Arjun Munda, wife improving: Doctors

The health of Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda, who suffered multiple injuries in a helicopter crash, was improving, a doctor attending on him said on Friday.

"The good news is that the condition of the chief minister has fast improved. As the CM has no pain and the remaining parameters like pulse, blood pressure are satisfactory, we think he may be shifted to the ward from the ICU by tonight or tomorrow morning," neurosurgeon Dr Sanjay Kumar told reporters at the Apollo Hospital.

Munda, his wife, two pilots, an MLA and a security officer were injured after the helicopter crash-landed at the Birsa Munda Airport on Wednesday.

Munda's right ankle has been plastered after an X-ray test showed fractures, he said.

"We are satisfied with the progress. He has begun limited important official work," Kumar said.

The condition of Munda's wife Meera has also improved.

"We wanted to shift her to the ward from the ICU, but decided to keep her there as the CM is there," Kumar said.

He said the two pilots, J P S Kaushik and Vipul Kumar Singh, who suffered fractures in the waist and spine, could be shifted to the general ward by Saturday evening.

Munda's security officer Manoj Singh was shifted out of the ICU on Friday morning and BJP MLA Barkuanr Gagrai, who was injured in the waist, was discharged, doctors said.

Superintendent of the hospital P D Sinha said the medical reports of the chief minister and the two pilots would be shown to doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, as advised by Chief Secretary S K Choudhary.

"All of them were wearing seat belts and suffered injuries under the impact of the fall from a height of 20 feet," Sinha said.