Poonam Nath

Kedarnath Helicopter Crash: 7 onboard reported dead; chopper services suspended  

Digital Desk: Tragic! Just 2 days after Air India Flight 171 crashed another horrifying crash took place killing 7 people onboard including the Pilot.

Aryan Aviation's helicopter, going from Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, crashed in the woods of Gaurikund, killing seven persons, including the pilot.

Passengers on the helicopter included Rajveer, the pilot, Vikram Rawat, Vinod, Trishti Singh, Rajkuma, Shraddha, and Rashi, a 10-year-old girl.

Following the tragedy, helicopter operations in the Char Dham region have been halted until further notice. The decision was made jointly by UCADA (Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority) and the DGCA.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his sorrow over the disaster, saying on X: "Extremely sad news has been received about the helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district."

The helicopter took off at 05:17 a.m. for Guptkashi and was returning from Kedarnath after picking up passengers when it deviated off course due to severe weather conditions in the Kedarnath valley.

Officials acknowledged that the weather in the area was quite terrible, which reportedly caused the chopper to lose direction.

The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand has directed the Chief Secretary to convene a committee of technical experts to assess the safety and technical elements of helicopter operations and prepare a new Safety Operating Procedure (SOP).

The committee will also investigate the recent helicopter disaster, identifying negligence and recommending severe penalties against those found guilty. The Chief Minister emphasized the value of helicopter services for pilgrimage, disaster management, and emergency response.