India on Tuesday deployed four ships and two aircraft to trace three missing coastguard members after their helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea during a rescue operation.

The coastguard helicopter was trying to rescue an injured crew member on an Indian-flagged tanker, about 45 kilometres (27 miles) off the coast of India's western state of Gujarat late on Monday.

"The helicopter had to make an emergency hard landing and ditched into the sea," the Indian Coast Guard said in a statement.

"One crew member recovered, the search for the remaining three crew members is in progress".

The wreckage of the helicopter had been found, it added.

The helicopter crew had recently been deployed inland to rescue dozens of people stranded in late August after deadly flash floods from heavy monsoon rains swept across a swath of Gujarat, killing at least 28 people.