Seven dead in chopper crash near Kedarnath; poor visibility blamed

Seven persons reportedly died when a helicopter carrying pilgrims from Kedarnath to Guptkashi crashed near Garuda Chatti on Tuesday. The accident spot is reportedly around 2 km from the Kedarnath Dham shrine.

Poor visibility due to bad weather reportedly led to the crash, after which the chopper burst into flames. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami has ordered a probe.

“Very sad news has been received about some casualties in an unfortunate helicopter crash at Garuda Chatti near Kedarnath. The SDRF and district administration teams have reached the spot for relief and rescue work. A detailed inquiry has been ordered into this tragic incident,” Dhami tweeted.

“Constant monitoring”

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said his ministry was constantly monitoring the situation.

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“The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate. We are in touch with the state government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss and are constantly monitoring the situation,” he tweeted.

A senior civil aviation ministry official said the Delhi-based Aryan Aviation operated the helicopter involved in the crash.

“According to preliminary information, a Bell 407 helicopter VT-RPN crashed on the way from Kedarnath to Guptkashi, possibly due to bad weather,” said a senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Choppers stopped for now

Visuals from the site showed debris spread over the mountainous terrain with the burning chopper at a distance.

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C Ravi Shankar, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), said at a press briefing: “Weather conditions were bad in the area. The investigation will reveal what exactly happened there. Pilots also have to see safety aspects while flying when weather conditions or visibility conditions are bad.”

He added that the district magistrate of Rudraprayag has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. “Chopper operations at Kedarnath Dham have been stopped till further orders,” he added.

“We will also report to the Centre and the DGCA about the incident. Nine helicopter operators are working in the area currently, and six choppers can fly there at a time,” he added.

(With agency inputs)