At least five people, including a 23-month-old child, died after a passenger helicopter carrying seven people, including the pilot, crashed near Guptkashi in Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, June 15. According to the news agency IANS, the chopper was en route to Guptkashi from Kedarnath Dham and is believed to have crashed due to bad weather.
The helicopter, operated by Aryan Company, took off at 5 AM with seven people onboard. Five fatalities have been reported so far. Following the tragic incident, teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were rushed to the crash site.
"Today, at around 5:20 am, a helicopter, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, has been reported to have crashed near Gaurikund. There were six passengers, including the pilot (5 adults and 1 child). The passengers in the helicopter are from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. In view of relief and rescue, NDRF and SDRF teams have been dispatched to the site of the incident," said Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed the news of the helicopter crash and said rescue teams were dispatched. "Very sad news has been received about a 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 travellers," CM Dhami said in a post on X.
“The helicopter that went missing in Gaurikund has crashed,” Uttarakhand Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Law and Order, Dr V Murugeshan told news agency ANI.
Helicopter Nodal Officer Rahul Choubey and District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar have confirmed the crash. According to eyewitnesses—Nepalese-origin women who were cutting grass in Gaurikund—the helicopter crashed in a forested area above Gauri Mai Khark.
Rescue teams are still reaching the site. Among the victims was BKTC employee Vikram Singh Rawat, who was also onboard the helicopter.