Seven killed in helicopter crash in Kedarnath

A helicopter carrying pilgrims had crashed near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand on 18 October 2022.

It is being told that the helicopter crashed due to bad weather, although the cause of the accident is being investigated in detail.

Seven people, including the pilot, were killed when a helicopter carrying pilgrims back from the Kedarnath temple crashed before reaching the base station near Garuda Chatti on October 18.

A team of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the helicopter crash near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, in which seven pilgrims were killed on Tuesday.

The official said it is an accident as per the classification of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the AAIB will investigate the matter.

Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) CEO C. Ravi Shankar says the helicopter belonged to Aryan Aviation Company and is said to have crashed due to bad weather, though a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also ordered a separate inquiry into the helicopter crash, with several others including the Prime Minister, the President and the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand condoling it. The dead included 58-year-old pilot Anil Singh and three pilgrims each from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.

According to state government officials, the incident took place between Lincholi and Garuda Chatti minutes after the helicopter took off from the helipad at the Kedarnath temple. Rescue teams immediately reached the spot. The helicopter was a Bell-407 VT-RPN owned by Aryan Aviation.

C. Ravi Shankar said, "Visibility was poor due to fog and the helicopter crashed after hitting the hill."

The dead included Purva Ramanuj (26), Kriti Brar (30) and Urvi Brar (25) from Gujarat. The Gujarat government announced financial assistance of ₹4 lakh each to the next of kin of the three deceased women.

“An assistance of Rs 4 lakh will be given to the families of the deceased of Bhavnagar. This decision has been taken by Chief Minister Shri @Bhupendrabjp ji and the State Government for which I thank him,” tweeted Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani.

He said that the government is constantly in touch with the Uttarakhand government to bring the bodies of the victims to Gujarat.

The three pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who died in the accident were Prem Kumar (63), Sujatha (56) and Kala (60).

Nine private helicopter services are operational to ferry pilgrims to Kedarnath from various bases in Guptkashi, Phata and Sirsi areas of Rudraprayag district. This year 1.35 lakh pilgrims have taken helicopter service to Kedarnath since the yatra started in May 2022.

Sonu Bisht, an eyewitness who informed the disaster control room about the accident, told The Hindu that the helicopter took off even though there was poor viability in the Valley due to dense fog.

“Helicopters carry people even when the weather is bad. They play with people's lives,” said Mr. Bisht, who is the husband of a district panchayat member of Parkandiwal.

Manohar Singh, a security personnel posted at the Kedarnath helipad, said the helicopter of Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd hit a hill amid dense fog and crashed seconds after takeoff near Garudchatti, just two kilometers from Kedarnath.

The district administration, Rudraprayag, claimed that helicopter services remained suspended after the accident and due to bad weather on Tuesday.

“Saddened by the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand. In this sad hour, my condolences are with the bereaved families,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Draupadi Murmu also condoled the death of the pilgrims and the pilot in a helicopter crash near Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand.

He said that my deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. “The news of the death of several pilgrims, including the pilot, in a helicopter crash near Kedarnath Dham is very sad. My deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones.

“The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate. We are in touch with the state government to ascertain the magnitude of the damage and are continuously monitoring the situation.” Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said.