A passenger helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims crashed shortly after takeoff in India on Sunday, killing all seven people on board, including the pilot.
The accident occurred in the morning in the northern state of Uttarakhand, as the helicopter was traveling from Kedarnath Dham to the pilgrimage site of Guptkashi, a prominent Hindu pilgrimage site in the Himalayas.
This crash comes just a few days after the Ahmedabad plane crash on Thursday, June 12, when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, killing 241 of the 232 passengers and 10 crew members on board. Officials estimate the death toll from that incident to be at least 270. The plane crashed onto a student hostel of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, killing five medical students and injuring 40 others.
Officials stated that the helicopter, operated by private company Arian Aviation, crashed in a forest near the Kedarnath pilgrimage route at around 5:30am local time. The crash is suspected to have been caused by bad weather.
Search and rescue operations were underway following the accident, according to local disaster management official Nandan Singh Rajwar.
Authorities confirmed that among the deceased were pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, in addition to the pilot. The bodies were severely burned after the helicopter caught fire post-crash.
Kedarnath is one of India’s four major pilgrimage sites, attracting thousands of devotees every summer. Many rely on helicopter services to reach the remote mountainous region. Helicopter mishaps are not uncommon in the treacherous Kedarnath region, where sudden weather changes and high-altitude flying conditions can pose risks.
On June 7, a helicopter operating in the Kedarnath Valley made an emergency landing on a highway due to technical fault shortly after taking off. The pilot was injured but all five passengers on board were unharmed. On May 8, a helicopter crashed in Uttarkashi district, killing six people, including the pilot. One person survived.