Two stuntmen die after jumping from a helicopter into a reservoir for a Indian movie

Horrifying moment two stuntmen die after jumping from a helicopter into a reservoir for an Indian movie… despite the fact ‘neither of them could SWIM’ *** Two stuntmen drowned after leaping from a helicopter while filming the climax to an action movie in India. Officials say neither Anil Verma, 31, nor Raghav Uday, 38, could swim, and a criminal investigation has been launched. Footage shows the duo jump from a helicopter, where they had performed a fight scene, above the Thippagondanahalli reservoir in the southern state of Karnataka, near Bangalore. They were filming a stunt for a movie called Maastigudi. Moments before the tragedy, they voiced misgivings about the stunt. Local inspector H.L. Nandeesha said: 'The two actors have drowned to death as they could not swim and were not rescued in time.' Duniya Vijay, one of the top actors in Kannada-language cinema, also jumped from a height of around 30 feet, but was able to swim to safety. A criminal investigation has been launched amid claims of negligence by producers. An investigator told AFP that precautionary and safety measures were not taken for the shoot, and said: 'There were no life jackets, no rescue team nor an ambulance.' The two men were missing for more than three hours before their bodies were found. The deaths have sent shockwaves through the Indian film industry, and Rishi Kapoor, one of the country's best known film actors, criticised producers to his 1.3 million Twitter followers. He tweeted: 'RIP.Two stuntmen drown whilst filming a stunt from a chopper in a Kannada film. When VFX facilities available,then why endanger human lives?' In the footage, the response from what appeared to be a rescue boat on standby appeared too late to save the actors. In 2014, Uday was awarded the ‘Best Villain’ title for his role in Jayammana Maga. In the sequence, Vijay, playing the movie's hero, climbed onto the helicopter while chasing the villains, played by Uday and Anil. The trio were filmed fighting on the aircraft, before the villains leapt into the water to evade Vijay's character. A crew member said: 'Unfortunately, the sequence went horribly wrong. We are shocked.' | DailyMail via IFTTT

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