Helicopter carrying pilgrims to Kedarnath crashes; all 7 on board killed

Dehradun, June 15: A helicopter crashed near the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand early Sunday, killing all seven on board.

Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said that the accident took place above the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility due to bad weather.

The dead included six pilgrims and the pilot. The helicopter took off from Kedarnath for Guptkashi around 5:30 am and crashed soon after.

According to reports the chopper belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in Kedarghati and caught fire.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a post on social media that the State Disaster Response Force and other agencies are engaged in relief and rescue operations.

Earlier, on May 8, a helicopter going to Gangotri Dham crashed in Uttarkashi district in which six people were killed.

On June 7, a helicopter going to Kedarnath had to make an emergency landing on the road due to a technical fault soon after take-off in which the pilot was injured but the five devotees on board were rescued safely.

Today’s incident comes days after an Air India flight to London crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board and several others on the ground.

This is a developing story and further details are awaited.

PTI