Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash: Helicopter Returning From Kedarnath Crashes Near Gaurikund, 7 Dead

Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash: A helicopter, with seven on board, crashed near Gaurikund in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag, authorities said. The helicopter had initially went missing between Trijuginarayan and Gaurikund, Uttarakhand ADG Law and Order, Dr V Murugeshan told ANI. Later, it was found that the chopper had crashed in a remote location near Gaurikund, killing all seven.

The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) said that the helicopter was going from Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi. The accident took place above the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility due to bad weather, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told PTI. The dead included six pilgrims and the pilot.

"Today, at around 5:20 am, a helicopter, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, has been reported to have crashed near Gaurikund. There were six passengers, including the pilot (5 adults and 1 child). The passengers in the helicopter are from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. In view of relief and rescue, NDRF and SDRF teams have been dispatched to the site of the incident," UCADA said in a statement.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "Very sad news has been received about a helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district. SDRF, local administration and other rescue teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations. I pray to Baba Kedar for the safety of all the travellers."

The chopper belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd.

This comes just days after a London-bound Air India plane, AI-171, carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed over BJ Medical College in Gujarat's Ahmedabad minutes after taking off from the airport, killing 270 people.

Notably, earlier this month, the aviation safety regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), had ordered special audits/enhanced surveillance into helicopter operations involved in shuttle services in Uttarakhand.

The order came following a spate of "occurrences" involving choppers during the Char Dham Yatra. Safety investigation has been initiated for each of these occurrences to identify contributing factors, including mechanical failures, operational errors, and weather-related challenges, according to the statement.

On June 7, six people, including the pilot, had a narrow escape last Saturday when a Kestrel Aviation helicopter on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand after developing a technical snag during take-off.

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