In a tragic incident, a helicopter ferrying pilgrims from Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi crashed into a hill in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag amid dense fog Tuesday, killing all seven people on board. The chopper burst into flames at around 11.45 am at Dev Darshini in Garud Chatti, District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said, as reported by news agency PTI.

The chopper, Bell 407 which is operated by private firm Aryan Aviation, had taken off from Kedarnath helipad. Following the crash, teams of NDRF, Uttarakhand and Delhi SDRF along with the police brought the bodies to the helipad.

The deceased have been identified as Poorva Ramanuj (26), Kriti Brar (30) and Urvi Brar (25) from Gujarat, and Sujata (56), Prem Kumar and Kala (60) from Tamil Nadu. Pilot Anil Singh (57) hailed from Maharashtra, Rudraprayag disaster management office said, reported PTI.

Also Read: Kedarnath Helicopter Crash: Seven onboard killed, rescue ops underway; Uttarakhand CM orders probe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, among others condoled the deaths.

“Anguished by the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families,” a tweet from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) read Tuesday.

A senior official told PTI Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will probe the crash, adding that the DGCA had fined four operators, including Aryan Aviation, flying on the Kedarnath Yatra route Rs 5 lakh for certain violations.

A security man deployed at Kedarnath helipad said that the chopper had crashed just seconds after take-off.

In August 2019, three people were killed when another private helicopter carrying relief material for flood victims in Uttarkashi crashed.

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The incident comes in the backdrop of an advisory issued by DGCA in June for helicopter operators flying on the Char Dham pilgrimage routes. The advisory cautioned pilots about the presence of any tailwinds while approaching land, particularly at Kedarnath, adding if tailwinds or crosswinds are beyond permissible limits, the journey must be abandoned, and the chopper must return to base.

It also directed that helicopter pilots must be qualified and well-rested.