Kedarnath: Helicopter Crash Kills Everyone Inside
In an extremely sad turn of events, a helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims has crashed near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand.
In an extremely sad turn of events, a helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims has crashed near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. All seven people, including a pilot, onboard the helicopter, were killed after it crashed near Kedarnath on Tuesday, 18th of October. The helicopter crashed right after the takeoff from the Kedarnath shrine near Garud Chatti in Rudraprayag at around 11.40 am. Bodies of six pilgrims and a pilot have been recovered from the crash site as per the reports given to the media. The reason for the crash as per the Initial investigation was bad weather and poor visibility. However, the exact reason can only be understood after the investigation completes, said C Ravi Shankar, CEO, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority.
Aviation regulator sources said a loud noise was heard before the helicopter caught fire.
The helicopter which crashed was a Bell 407 helicopter VT-RPN belonging to a Delhi-based company named Aryan Aviation. Videos and pictures from the crash spot showed massive smoke. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the district police carried out a joint search and rescue operation at the accident site. Chief minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a detailed inquiry into the crash. Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia expressed his anguish over the incident and said they are in constant touch with the state government. Also, soon after the images of the crash started to surf on the internet, President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have also condoled the death of pilgrims and the pilot in the crash. Along with Pilot Anil Singh, 3 deceased were from Tamil Nadu and 3 were from Gujarat.
