The helicopter crashed at Gaurikund near Kedarnath at around 5:20 am on Sunday. In this, all 7 passengers including the pilot died. Those who died include a 2 -year -old child from Maharashtra.
The helicopter was blown away from the Kedarnath temple for Gaurikund with devotees. Initial investigations have found that there were clouds in the valley and visibility was not good, yet the helicopter was flown. This belonged to Aryan Aviation Company.
Char Dham Yatra helicopter service has been banned after the accident. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that strict rules will be made regarding the operation of heli service. In this, it will be mandatory to investigate the technical status of the helicopter and take accurate information of the weather before the flight.
Here, the path leading to Shri Baba Kedarnath Dham has been damaged due to debris and stone falling in the ravine near Junglechatti. This led to the death of one person. After this, the route from Sonprayag to Kedarnath Dham has been postponed till further orders.
The pilgrims traveling by walking, including devotees who have left for Kedarnath Dham before the road are damaged, are ensuring effective security.
The helicopter had 2–2 passengers from UP-Maharashtra and 1-1 in Uttarakhand, Gujarat. Pilot Rajveer Singh Chauhan was a resident of Jaipur, Rajasthan. Rescue teams of NDRF and SDRF have been sent from Gaurikund. IG Garhwal Rajiv Swaroop said that due to scorching fire, the dead body is becoming difficult to identify. There will be a DNA test of the dead, only then the body will be handed over to the family.
Information about those who lost their lives in helicopter crash
- Pilot Rajveer Singh (Jaipur, Rajasthan)
- Vikram Singh Rawat (Ukhimath, Uttarakhand)
- Vinod Devi (Uttar Pradesh)
- Treeth Singh (Uttar Pradesh)
- Rajkumar Suresh (Gujarat)
- Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal (Maharashtra)
- Kashi (Maharashtra)
CM Dhami said: relief work continues
Regarding the accident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said- ‘The sad news of the helicopter crashed in Rudraprayag has been received. SDRF, local administration and other rescue teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations. I wish all the passengers to be safe.
Pedestrian tour also postponed after air service
The route leading to Kedarnath Dham has been broken due to falling debris stone in the donkey near Junglechatti. After this, the administration has closed the route from Sonprayag to Kedarnath Dham till the next notice.
With this, the Kedarnath walking journey has been postponed till further orders. The Rudraprayag police has appealed to the pilgrims to move to safe places near where they are.
