7 Dead In Chopper Crash Near Kedarnath, 5th Such Incident In 6 Weeks
Seven people were killed as the chopper flying them from the Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand crashed in a forest. The seven victims in the Aryan Aviation Helicopter crash included the pilot. During its 10-minute ride, the chopper crashed between Gaurikund and Sonprayag.
The incident occurred early morning, at 5:20, with seven people on board - six pilgrims (five adults and a 23-month-old child) and a pilot, according to a statement issued by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). All were charred to death.
As the chopper was returning after Kedarnath Dham visit, the weather had deteriorated. The pilot attempted to wear off chopper from the valley but it crashed.
"The weather turned bad during the return journey. The pilot tried to move the chopper out of the valley but it crashed near Gaurikund. Authorities, including NDRF and SDRF are leading the operations," said Rahul Chaubey from the District Tourism Development.
One of the passengers was a Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee, said Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey. The other five plilgrims were from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Among the dead are three members of a Jaiswal family from Maharashtra's Yavatmal - Rajkumar Jaiswal, Shradhha Jaiswal and their 23-month-old daughter Kashi Rajkumar Jaiswal. Their son, Vivaan, got saved as he stayed back with his grandfather.
Jaiswal family of Maharashtra killed in Uttarakhand chopper crash.
Locals, who were out to collect fodder for their cattle, spotted the crashed helicopter and informed the officials. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached Gaurikund by 7 am and from there, they began a trek to the incident site and started rescue operation at 8:55 am. Two bodied have been recovered so far.
Since it is difficult to identify the bodies, a DNA test will be conducted before handing them over to the families, Inspector General Rajiv Swaroop said.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami shared the "distressing" news on X (formerly Twitter). "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," he wrote.
The Chief Minister Dhami has issued strict instructions regarding helicopter operations and has called for stringent standard operating procedure (SOP) for operating helicopter in Uttarakhand, the news agency ANI reported.
"Chief Minister Dhami said that a strict SOP should be prepared for the operation of heli services in the state, in which a complete check of the technical condition of the helicopter and taking accurate weather information before the flight should be made mandatory," ANI reported.
Mr Dhami has directed the Chief Secretary to constitute a committee of technical experts, which will prepare the SOP.
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the crash.
This is the fifth accident since the portals of the Himalayan temple Kedarnath opened on May 2, leaving 13 dead. Earlier, on June 7, a helicopter on its way to Kedarnath was forced to land on a highway in Uttarakhand after developing a technical snag during take-off. It came dangerously close to buildings, and its tail rotor fell on a parked car. The five pilgrims on board came out safely, while the pilot sustained minor injuries.
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