A chopper carrying six pilgrims from Kedarnath crashed near Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district early Sunday morning, police said. Officials said that the six pilgrims, and the pilot have died in the crash. The Aryan Aviation chopper took off from the Kedarnath helipad around 5 am and went “missing” after authorities lost signal with it.
“There were seven people on board, including the pilot, five passengers and an infant,” district tourism officer Rahul Chaubey, who is also the nodal officer for chopper service in Rudraprayag, was quoted as saying by regional agencies.
He did not comment on casualties. “The chopper was returning from Kedarnath Dham to its base in Guptkashi when it encountered sudden adverse weather conditions in the valley. The pilot attempted to navigate the helicopter out of the valley; however, the aircraft crashed during the effort,” Chaubey added.
“A search operation was launched to trace the helicopter after we received information about it missing. Rescue teams, including and other emergency response units, are actively engaged in search and rescue efforts, with support from local residents,” Chaubey added. This is the fifth chopper mishap on the Char Dham route in less than 40 days.
A helicopter carrying five pilgrims made a crash landing on the Guptkashi–Gaurikund highway near Barasu in Rudraprayag district on June 7. The incident occurred around 1 pm. There were no casualties. Only the pilot sustained minor injuries.
