DEHRADUN: A private helicopter en route to the Gangotri shrine crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on Thursday, leaving six pilgrims and the pilot dead. Seven people were on board the aircraft when the accident occurred.
According to information received from SDRF sources, the helicopter, operated by AeroTrans Services Private Limited (VT-OXF) and piloted by Captain Robin Singh, had taken off from the Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun at 8:50 AM on Thursday morning with six passengers.
Those among the deceased have been identified as Vijayalakshmi Reddy (57) of Mumbai, Maharashtra; helicopter pilot Robin Singh (60) of Vadodara, Gujarat; Radha Agarwal (79) of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh; Ruchi Agarwal of Mumbai; Kala Chandrakant Soni (61) of Mumbai, Maharashtra; and Vedanti (40) of Andhra Pradesh.
Maktoor Bhaskar (51), a resident of Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, who sustained serious injuries, was airlifted by heli-ambulance and admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh. His condition is reported to be stable.
The helicopter was scheduled to land at the Kharsali helipad, located approximately six kilometers from Yamunotri Dham, when the crash occurred unexpectedly near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district.
SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi told TNIE, "Upon reaching the crash site, the Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team from Bhatwadi observed that the helicopter had fallen into a deep gorge, approximately 200 to 250 meters deep. The team has established a base at the scene and commenced rescue operations to descend into the gorge. The investigation into the causes of the accident is ongoing."
Expressing grief over the helicopter crash near Gangnani, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered an investigation into the incident. SDRF and district administration teams were dispatched immediately to the crash site for relief and rescue operations.
Notably, this incident follows a recent emergency landing in the region. On 5 May, a helicopter carrying pilgrims from Badrinath to Dehradun had to make an emergency landing at the Gopeshwar sports ground due to inclement weather in the Badrinath Dham area.
The crash also occurred on a day when the Meteorological Department had issued a weather warning for Uttarakhand. Light to moderate rain, accompanied by lightning and strong winds, was forecast for Thursday in districts including Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, and Champawat.