All seven on board were killed in a helicopter crash near the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand early on Sunday, June 15. Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told the news agency PTI that the accident took place above the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility due to bad weather. The dead included six pilgrims and the pilot. The helicopter took off from Kedarnath for Guptkashi around 5:30 am and crashed soon after. Sources said the chopper belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in Kedarghati and caught fire.
"At around 5:30 AM, we got the information that a helicopter, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, could not be located. After some time, it was learnt that it had crashed near Gaurikund. Rescue operation is underway, SDRF teams have reached the spot. A total of 6 passengers and one pilot were on board the helicopter," said Sonika, CEO of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a post on X that a helicopter has crashed and the State Disaster Response Force and other agencies are engaged in relief and rescue operations.
"SDRF and NDRF teams have reached the spot, and relief and rescue operations have been started. The rescue operation remains challenging as the incident spot is in a difficult and inaccessible forest area," said SDRF.
CMO Uttarakhand said that, taking seriously the recent helicopter accidents in the state, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has issued strict instructions regarding helicopter operations. CM Dhami said that a strict SOP should be prepared for the operation of helicopter services in the state, in which a complete check of the helicopter's technical condition and accurate weather information before the flight should be made mandatory.
CM Dhami has directed the Chief Secretary to constitute a committee of technical experts. This committee will prepare the SOP after a thorough review of all the technical and safety aspects of heli operations. This committee will ensure that the operation of heli services is completely safe, transparent, and according to the prescribed standards.
Nodal Officer (Heli/Tourism), Rahul Chaubey, said, "The Aryan Aviation helicopter crashed while returning from Kedarnath. It was carrying five passengers, including a 23-month-old child, and pilot Rajeev. Due to poor visibility, the pilot attempted to steer the helicopter away from the valley, but it crashed above Gaurikund. NDRF and SDRF teams have been deployed at the site for rescue and investigation operations."