Dehradun: A major accident has happened in Gaurikund area of Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. On Sunday morning, a helicopter going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi on the Kedarnath route crashed near Gaurikund. A total of 6 people were on board the helicopter. 6 people died in the tragic accident, the deceased also include a 23-month-old child. NDRF and SDRF teams have also reached. Helicopter service has been stopped till further orders.
According to the information, a helicopter of Aryan Company crashed on Sunday morning. This accident has happened in Gaurikund area. The incident is said to have happened at 5.30 am. Bad weather is being said to be the reason for the crash of the helicopter.
Helicopter nodal officer Rahul Chaubey and District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar have confirmed the crash of the helicopter. Women of Nepali origin cutting grass above Gaurikund reported the helicopter crash.
According to the information, 6 people have died in the tragic accident. A couple and their 23-month-old child are also included, the Jaiswal family is said to be from Maharashtra. Two people are local, Vinod Negi and Vikram Singh Rawat. Vikram Singh Rawat was an employee of BKTC.
The deceased include Rajkumar Jaiswal, Shraddha Jaiswal, Kashi Jaiswal, Tusti Singh, Vinod, Vikram Singh and Captain Rajiv. The bodies are reported to be badly burnt. It is being told that the helicopter has fallen in the forest above Gauri Mai Khark.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief over the helicopter accident. He posted on X and wrote that very sad news has been received about the helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district. SDRF, local administration and other rescue teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations. I pray to Baba Kedar for the safety of all the passengers.
CEO of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) Sonika said that the rescue operation is going on and our shuttle services have been stopped in view of the weather conditions in the valley. Almost all helicopters are engaged in the rescue operation.
Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said that the place where the helicopter accident happened is a seven kilometer trekking route. There were six people on board, including pilot Chauhan, in the accident. There was a child among the passengers, and one was an employee of Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee.
AAIB will investigate the accident
The helicopter accident will be investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). DGCA says that as a precaution, it has already reduced the frequency of helicopter operations for Char Dham and is monitoring and reviewing the operations for further action.
Emergency landing of helicopter on highway
Earlier, on June 7, while taking off for Kedarnath from Badasu helipad in Kedarghati, the helicopter developed a technical fault and the pilot made an emergency landing on the Rudraprayag-Gaurikund highway. During this, the pilot suffered a back injury. All five passengers on board the helicopter were safe. The pilot was admitted to the hospital, where he was referred to a higher center after first aid.
On June 7, at 1.02 pm, a helicopter of Crystal Company took off for Kedarnath from Badasu helipad with five passengers. The helicopter was barely able to rise two meters above the helipad when some technical fault occurred, sensing which the pilot made an emergency landing on the Rudraprayag-Gaurikund highway just below the helipad. Due to which the tail of the helicopter got damaged and fell on a car parked on the road. Also, the front part of the shop was damaged due to the helicopter’s wings. Incidentally, no vehicle or pedestrian was passing on the highway at that time.
Helicopter crashes in Uttarkashi; Six passengers including the pilot die in the tragic accident
Earlier, a helicopter crashed in Uttarkashi district on the morning of May 8. Six people, including the pilot, died in this accident. While one injured was referred to AIIMS Rishikesh. As soon as the information of the accident was received, the police-administration as well as the disaster management team reached the spot.
On receiving information about a helicopter crash near Gangani on the Gangotri National Highway, police, SDRF, fire, medical and other disaster relief teams reached the spot. The helicopter belonged to the Aerotrans company, which took off from Sahastradhara helipad to Harshil on the morning of May 8.
There were 6 people in the helicopter, including the pilot, out of which six passengers died on the spot. One passenger was injured. Four passengers on board the helicopter were from Mumbai and two from Andhra Pradesh.
