Kedarnath Helicopter Accident: The helicopter bound for Kedarnath that went missing earlier today, has crashed in Gaurikund. There were six people, and the pilot, on board the crashed helicopter. However, as per PTI reports, the seven people have been killed.

The Aryan Aviation Bell 407 helicopter VT-BKA was operating the flight and crashed between the forest areas of Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in Kedarghati and caught fire. The accident was triggered reportedly due to poor visibility. On board were 6 adults including pilot who has been identified as Rajiv along with a 23 month old baby. The aircraft was flying from Kedarnath before it went missing in Gaurikund and crashed.

An official statement from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) informed that at 5:20 AM today, June 15, the helicopter was bound for Guptkashi. 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.

Dhami’s high-level meet

Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami took to X and confirmed the incident occurred near the Rudraprayag district. He ensured that “SDRF, local administration and other rescue teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations.” Taking stock of the incident, he held a meeting with administration members and concerned officials. Helicopter services have been suspended till tomorrow, June 16.

Following the emergency meeting, several key instructions were given to the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation). Such as, the pilots flying in the upper Himalayan areas should have proper experience. Dhami also proposed a control and command centre to be set up. Additionally, authorities will also hold the responsible accountable and punish them strictly.

Mamata Banerjee commented on the Gaurikund helicopter crash, pointing out the second civil aviation mishap in India. After loosing at least 270 lives in the Air India Ahmedabad plane crash, the West Bengal CM expressed her prayers to the victims.

Probe launched

As a precautionary measure, DGCA has already reduced the frequency of helicopter operations to Char Dham and is carrying out enhanced surveillance and reviewing the operation for any further action. The AAIB would investigate the accident, said DGCA.

Victims identified

A couple and their two-year-old daughter hailing from Yavatmal in Maharashtra were among the seven persons killed after a helicopter crashed near the Kedarnath shrine in the Uttarakhand helicopter crash. The deceased included Rajkumar Jaiswal, a transport businessman, his wife Shraddha, and their two-year-old daughter Kashi, hailing from Yavatmal

This comes just a week after a video of an air ambulance helicopter making an emergency landing in Kedarnath went viral. Reportedly, due to a tail rotor malfunction, however, the pilot managed to save all lives on board. After landing, the AIIMS Rishikesh air-ambulance took a 360-degree turn.