A tragic helicopter crash in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district claimed the lives of all seven people on board early Sunday morning. The Aryan Aviation helicopter, returning from the Kedarnath Dham pilgrimage site to Guptkashi, went down near Gaurikund at approximately 5:20 am IST, amid poor weather and low visibility.
According to the reports, authorities confirmed that the victims included the pilot, Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan, and six passengers, among them a 23-month-old child and members of a family from Maharashtra. The passengers hailed from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached the densely forested crash site and recovered all bodies. Initial reports suggest the helicopter veered off course due to adverse weather conditions in the Kedarnath valley.
In response to the tragedy, the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have suspended all helicopter services in the Char Dham region until further notice. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the incident and ordered a technical review of heli-operations in the state. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been tasked with investigating the cause of the crash.
This marks the fifth helicopter-related incident in the region since the Kedarnath temple opened for pilgrimage this season, raising renewed concerns about aviation safety in the challenging Himalayan terrain.