GG News Bureau
Rudraprayag, 15th June: Seven people, including the pilot, were killed today when a chopper flying from the Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand crashed in a forest between Gaurikund and Sonprayag. The accident, involving an Aryan Aviation helicopter, occurred early this morning at 5:20 AM.
According to a statement from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the chopper was carrying six pilgrims (five adults and a 23-month-old child) and the pilot. All victims were charred to death. Authorities indicated that the weather had deteriorated as the chopper was returning from its Kedarnath Dham visit. The pilot reportedly attempted to steer the chopper out of 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.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that helicopter services will be suspended for today and tomorrow. “These services will remain closed until the safety of the passengers is ensured. Life of every passenger is of utmost importance to us,” he told ANI.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the crash. Among the victims was Vikram Rawat, a Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee from Ukhimath, Uttarakhand, confirmed Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey.
The deceased also include three members of a Jaiswal family from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal: Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal, Shraddha Jaiswal, and their 23-month-old daughter Kashi Rajkumar Jaiswal. Their son, Vivaan, was saved as he remained with his grandfather. The other pilgrims were identified as 66-year-old Vinod Devi and 19-year-old Trishti Singh, both from Uttar Pradesh. Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan, the 39-year-old pilot from Jaipur, also perished.
Locals discovered the crashed helicopter and alerted officials. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached Gaurikund by 7 AM and began a trek to the site, starting rescue operations at 8:55 AM. All bodies have been recovered. Due to difficulty in identification, DNA tests will be conducted before handing them over to families, stated Inspector General Rajiv Swaroop.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami shared the “distressing” news on X, confirming rescue operations were underway. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed her prayers for the passengers on X, noting “Most distressingly, another civil aviation tragedy reported today morning.”
This marks the fifth accident since the Kedarnath temple portals opened on May 2, bringing the total death toll to 13. Earlier, on June 7, a helicopter en route to Kedarnath was forced to land on a highway due to a technical snag, with its tail rotor falling on a parked car. Five pilgrims on board were safe, and the pilot sustained minor injuries.
Following today’s incident, Chief Minister Dhami issued strict instructions for helicopter operations, calling for stringent Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). He directed the Chief Secretary to form a committee of technical experts to prepare an SOP that makes “a complete check of the technical condition of the helicopter and taking accurate weather information before the flight” mandatory, ANI reported.
As a precautionary measure, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already reduced the frequency of helicopter operations to Char Dham and is conducting enhanced surveillance. Chief Minister Dhami also called for establishing a control and command center and taking strict action against those responsible for the accident.
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