Uttarakhand: Seven killed as helicopter crashes on its way to Kedarnath
This is the fifth accident since the opening of the portals of the Himalayan temple Kedarnath on May 2; six passengers were killed in another chopper crash last month
Seven people were killed as the chopper flying them from the Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand crashed in a forest on Sunday (June 15).
The seven victims in the Aryan Aviation Helicopter crash included the pilot. During its 10-minute ride, the chopper crashed between Gaurikund and Sonprayag, as per an NDTV report.
Also read | Uttarakhand: 6 killed after chopper with 7 on board crashes in Uttarkashi
The incident occurred early morning, at 5:20 with seven people on board – six pilgrims (five adults and a child) and a pilot, according to a statement issued by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). Among the dead are three members of a Jaiswal family from Maharashtra's Yavatmal - Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal, Shraddha Jaiswal and their 23-month-old daughter Kashi Rajkumar Jaiswal. The others were identified as Vikram Singh Rawat from Uttarakhand, Vinod Devi (66) from Uttar Pradesh, Tushti Singh (19) from Uttar Pradesh and the pilot Capt Rajveer Singh Chauhan.
Rescue teams on the way
Inspector General (Garhwal Range) Rajiv Swaroop said that the site of the crash was a very remote area. The pilgrims were from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Technical problem and weather reportedly led to the crash.
The crash was reported after locals, who were out to collect fodder for their cattle, spotted the missing helicopter. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are on the way to the crash site.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “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.”
CM Dhami bats for SOP
Meanwhile, the chief minister said a strict SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) should be prepared for the operation of heli services in the state, in which a complete check of the technical condition of the helicopter should be made mandatory. Weather status should also be checked before heli operations.
The chief secretary has been directed to constitute a committee of technical experts, which will prepare the SOP after thoroughly reviewing all technical and safety aspects of heli operations. This committee will ensure that the operation of heli services is completely safe, transparent and as per the prescribed standards, an official statement said.
Dhami has also directed that the high-level committee constituted to investigate helicopter accidents that have took place in the past in the state will thoroughly investigate every aspect of the earlier heli accidents as well as today's heli crash and submit its report. This committee will investigate the causes of each incident in depth and identify the guilty persons or institutions and recommend strict action against them.
The chief minister said the importance of heli services in the state is immense for pilgrimage, disaster management and emergency services, hence safety will be given top priority in these.
Fifth incident since May 2
Earlier, on June 7, a helicopter on its way to Kedarnath was forced to land on a highway in Uttarakhand as it developed 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.
Also read | Portals of Badrinath open, temple adorned with 15 tons of flowers
The incident comes just days after 270 people were killed as an Air India plane crashed into an Ahmedabad medical college hostel moments after takeoff.
All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 787-8(AI171) were killed when the aircraft came down on Thursday moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport before falling inside the nearby campus of the state-run BJ Medical College in Meghaninagar area and going up in flames.
(With agency inputs)