Kedarnath Helicopter Crash: Helicopter carrying seven crashes; operations underway

New Delhi (India) June 15: The helicopter carrying the passengers from Uttarakhand's Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi crashed in a forest, killing seven people. The pilot was one of seven people killed in the accident of the Aryan Aviation Helicopter. The helicopter crashed between Gaurikund and Sonprayag during its ten-minute flight.

According to a statement released by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the incident happened at 5:20 in the morning and involved seven individuals on board: a pilot and six pilgrims, including five adults and a kid. The pilgrims came from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

District Tourism officer and Nodal officer for chopper service Rahul Chaubey said, “There were seven people on board, including the pilot, five passengers and an infant. The chopper was returning from Kedarnath Dham to its base in Guptkashi when it encountered sudden adverse weather conditions in the valley. The pilot attempted to navigate the helicopter out of the valley; however, the aircraft crashed during the effort.”

“A search operation was launched to trace the helicopter after we received information about it missing. Rescue teams, including and other emergency response units, are actively engaged in search and rescue efforts, with support from local residents” regarding the incident.

Around five in the morning, the Aryan Aviation helicopter took off from the Kedarnath helipad and disappeared after officials lost contact with it. The incident was said to have been caused by weather and technical issues.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami shared, "The extremely distressing news of a helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district has been received. SDRF, local administration, and other rescue teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations" regarding the tragic accident on social media platform X.

Locals who were out collecting feed for their animals noticed the missing chopper and reported the accident. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on their way to the scene of the crash.

Since the gates of the Himalayan temple Kedarnath opened on May 2, there have been five accidents. Earlier, on June 7, a helicopter travelling to Kedarnath experienced a technical issue before takeoff and was forced to land on an Uttarakhand highway. Its tail rotor landed on a parked car and it approached buildings in an unsafe manner. The pilot was slightly injured, but the five pilgrims on board were unharmed.

This incident comes days after an Air India airliner crashed into a medical hostel in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff, killing 270 people. 

Aadrika Tayal