While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered a probe into the incident, Initial investigation suggests bad weather and poor visibility caused the crash.
Rudraprayag: Moments after taking off with pilgrims from the Kedarnath shrine, a helicopter caught fire and crashed on the ground. The officials said all the seven onboard, including the pilot, were killed.
According to officials, the helicopter crashed near the Garud Chatti in Rudraprayag around 11.40 am. “The chopper took off from Kedarnath and was heading towards Guptkashi. The cause of the accident will be known after a proper investigation,” said C Ravi Shankar, CEO, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority.
While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered a probe into the incident, Initial investigation suggests bad weather and poor visibility caused the crash.
Several personnel of the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force rushed to the spot and are still carrying out the rescue operations despite snowfall and bad weather.
Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “Very sad news has been received of some casualties in the unfortunate helicopter crash at Garuda Chatti near Kedarnath. SDRF and district administration teams have reached the spot for relief and rescue work. A detailed inquiry has been ordered into this tragic incident.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted and expressed his grief. “Anguished by the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families,” Modi tweeted.
Union Road and Transportation minister Nitin Gadkari said, “Deeply pained to hear about the death of Kedarnath pilgrims in a helicopter crash. My condolences to the bereaved families. May God give them the strength to deal with this tragic loss. Om Shanti.”
Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankar said, “Saddened by the loss of lives in a helicopter crash at Kedarnath in Uttarakhand today. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families.”
