A helicopter carrying seven people, including six passengers and a pilot, made an emergency landing approximately 100 metre away from the Kedarnath helipad early this morning due to a technical fault. Remarkably, all aboard were unharmed.
Footage of the incident shows the helicopter’s tail spinning just before the emergency landing, prompting people near the helipad to scramble for cover.
VT-CLR, Leonardo A119 Koala, Kestrel Aviation, Kedarnath base camp today❗
Miraculous escape from what looks like loss of directional control (rudder/servo failure?). Six 360° turns before setting down outside the helipad. Remarkably well controlled by the pilot. All safe. pic.twitter.com/LKpaUXuok4
— Kaypius (@realkaypius) May 24, 2024
“A helicopter of Kestrel Aviation Co., traveling from Sirsi helipad to Shri Kedarnath Dham with six passengers and a pilot, had to make an emergency landing around 7:05 AM due to a technical problem,” confirmed the district disaster management officer of Rudraprayag.
The Char Dham Yatra, a significant pilgrimage in Hinduism, began this year on May 10 with the opening of three of the four shrines: Gangotri, Yamunotri, and Kedarnath.
Watch the video from another angle:
A Leonardo A119 Koala helicopter owned by Kestrel Aviation, Callsign VT-CLR, lost control at about 0700h today morning as it approached the Kedarnath Helipad for landing in Uttarakhand.
It was a miraculous escape for the crew and the six passengers onboard the helicopter.
The… pic.twitter.com/9oMEUhDtZY— Ashok Bijalwan अशोक बिजल्वाण (@AshTheWiz) May 24, 2024
The doors of Badrinath opened on May 12. The yatra holds profound spiritual importance and typically runs from April-May to October-November, following a clockwise route starting from Yamunotri, proceeding to Gangotri, then Kedarnath, and ending at Badrinath.
Due to the large influx of pilgrims, the Uttarakhand government has mandated registration for all visitors participating in the Char Dham Yatra. Offline registration has been halted in Haridwar and Rishikesh, requiring devotees to register online before embarking on the pilgrimage.
Despite the scare, the emergency landing incident had a safe outcome, and the Char Dham Yatra continues as planned.
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