BENGALURU: As rescuers trekked through treacherous Himalayan terrain braving the extreme cold to bring back the bodies of those killed in a helicopter crash near Joshimath, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Saturday that the tragedy had left the state "in great shock," and urged the many Karnataka pilgrims still in the hills to take extra care.
The helicopter was flying from Shri Badrinath Dham in Chamoli to Dehradun when it crashed, turning what should have been a journey of devotion into one of Uttarakhand’s saddest episodes this pilgrimage season.
An operation has been on since morning to retrieve the bodies from the crash site and carry them along a trekking route to the roadhead, said Prateek Jain, CEO of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). From there, the mortal remains will be airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh, where families of the victims are already arriving.
In Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the crash had particularly hit Karnataka, whose devotees travel in large numbers to the Himalayan shrines. He recalled visiting the region himself two to three years ago.
"The tragedy that has happened in Uttarakhand is a matter of great shock for all of us," he said, adding that it was a serious concern for the state and its people.
He said the Karnataka government and authorities in Delhi were watching developments closely. "All our concerned govt and the Delhi people are also paying very close attention. I have informed everyone," he said.
"It is truly unfortunate that this happened while going for darshan and prayer of God," he said. “May the souls of those who died in the accident rest in peace."
Shivakumar had a direct message for travellers still in the Himalayas. "I pray that all our tourists should be very careful. They must be cautious," he said.
With the temples set to close on the 10th, he said he had spoken to swaminjis in the region. A Swamiji from Karnataka is currently at Kedarnath and has said he will return and bring back prasad. The Chief Minister said he had asked those in the area to take care and that the state had made arrangements for their return.
The crash comes as pilgrim traffic to the Char Dham shrines peaks ahead of the winter closure, and helicopters are widely used to reach high-altitude sites such as Kedarnath and Badrinath.
For Karnataka, which sends thousands of devotees to these shrines every year, the accident is more than a distant headline. As bodies are brought down the mountain and families gather at Rishikesh, the state’s focus is on mourning the dead and keeping its pilgrims safe.