RUDRAPRAYAG:
All seven persons onboard a helicopter were killed when the chopper crashed into a hill amid dense fog, soon after taking off from Kedarnath on Tuesday. The helicopter was ferrying six pilgrims three each from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu from Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi.
The dead pilgrims have been identified as Poorva Ramanuj (26), Kriti Brar (30) and Urvi Brar (25) from Gujarat, and Sujatha Premkumar (56), Premkumar Vanchinathan and Kala Ramesh (60) from Tamil Nadu. Pilot Anil Singh (57), hailed from Maharashtra.
WATCH |
Reports said the chopper a Bell 407 operated by Aryan Aviation crashed into a hill 2 km away and burst into flames at around 11.45 am at Dev Darshini in Rudraprayag’s Garud Chatti, within a few seconds of taking off. Following the accident, all heliservices to and from Kedarnath were stopped.
Officials said primafacie, the cause appears to be bad weather, adding that teams of Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and aviation regulator DGCA will probe the crash. Aryan Aviation and four other operators flying on the Kedarnath Yatra route were recently fined `5 lakh by the DGCA for violations. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin condoled the loss of lives.
#WATCH | Uttarakhand: A helicopter carrying Kedarnath pilgrims from Phata crashes, casualties feared; administration team left for the spot for relief and rescue work. Further details awaited pic.twitter.com/sDf4x1udlJ
— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2022