Seven People Die In a Helicopter crash near Kedarnath

Kedarnath Dham crash: Seven people including the pilot Die

Image from Twitter

Seven people who were aboard a chopper that crashed in Uttarakhand near the iconic Kedarnath Dham have died, officials have confirmed. The tragedy occurred when the chopper crashed at Garud Chatti, nearly 2 km from the Kedarnath Dham shrine. 

The chopper was travelling back from Kedarnath when it crashed near Garud Chatti.

as it crashed after colliding with a hill amid low visibility in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district Tuesday morning.

The helicopter, carrying pilgrims, crashed right after the takeoff from the Kedarnath shrine near Garud Chatti in Rudraprayag at around 11.40 am, officials said.

Image from Twitter

"Bodies of six pilgrims and a pilot have been recovered from the site," they said. 

Initial investigation suggests bad weather and poor visibility caused the crash. "The exact cause of the accident will be known after a proper investigation," said C Ravi Shankar, CEO, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority.

 Aviation regulator sources said a loud noise was heard before the helicopter caught fire. "A Bell 407 helicopter VT-RPN belonging to a Delhi-based Aryan Aviation has crashed on the way from Kedarnath to Guptkashi, possibly due to cloudy weather," sources speak about. 

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a detailed inquiry into the crash.

A search and rescue operation is ongoing with teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and district police at the spot. The operation, however, has been hindered due to rain in the area.

In a statement issued, the SDRF said the incident took place between Lincholi and Garud Chatti, and rescue teams from Kedarnath and Lincholi have reached the spot. “The search operation is going on. Due to fog, there was less visibility and the helicopter crashed after colliding with a hill,” said the statement.

Visuals from the site showed debris spread all over the mountainous region. The accident had also sparked a fire.

Those travelling on the helicopter have been identified as Purva Ramanuj, Kriti, Urvi, Sujata, Prem Kumar, Kala, and pilot Anil Singh.

C Ravi Shankar, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Uttarakhand civil aviation development authority (UCADA), at a press briefingly said: “The weather conditions were bad in the area. The investigation will reveal what exactly happened there. Pilots also have to see safety aspects while flying when weather conditions or visibility conditions are bad. District magistrate Rudraprayag has also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Chopper operations in the Kedarnath Dham have been stopped till further orders."

7 People Near Kedarnath in a Chopper crash

7 people, including the pilot, were killed when a #helicopter crashed near the #Kedarnath shrine in #Uttarakhand. The chopper broke into several pieces and was engulfed by fire. Initial probe suggests bad weather and poor visibility caused the crash. Full story here. pic.twitter.com/frqkoUdK8E

— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) October 18, 2022

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Drupadi Murmu, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, and Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M Scindia tweeted about the accident.

“Anguished by the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families: PM @narendramodi,” said the Prime Minister’s Office on Twitter.

“Got the sad news of the death of some persons in an unfortunate helicopter crash at Garud Chatti near Kedarnath. The SDRF and district administration teams have reached the spot for rescue and relief operations. An order has been issued for the detailed inquiry of the incident,” said Dhami in a tweet.

Scindia called the accident unfortunate and said they are in constant touch with the Uttarakhand state government. “The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate. We are in touch with the state government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss, and are constantly monitoring the situation,” he tweeted.

President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have condoled the death of pilgrims and the pilot in the chopper crash. 

The news of the death of many pilgrims including the pilot in the helicopter crash near Kedarnath Dham is very sad. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.