Seven people were killed as a helicopter carrying them from the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand crashed early Sunday in the forests of Gaurikund amid poor visibility.
The Bell 407 helicopter operated by private firm Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in Kedarghati and caught fire, killing all on board.
Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told PTI that zero visibility caused by bad weather apparently led to the crash.
The Civil Aviation Ministry said the accident will be investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
"There were 5 passengers, one infant and one crew member on board. The helicopter took off from Guptakashi at 05:10 Hrs and Landed at Shri Kedarnath ji Helipad at 05:18 hrs. Helicopter took off again at 05:19 hrs for Guptkanshi and crashed near Gaurikund," an official statement said.
As a precautionary measure, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) has reduced frequency of helicopter operations to chardham shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri.
The watchdog is carrying out enhanced surveillance and reviewing the operation for any further action, the statement said.
The chopper crash comes days after an Air India flight to London crashed in Ahmedbad, killing 241 people on board and several others on the ground.
Earlier, on May 8, a helicopter going to Gangotri Dham crashed in Uttarkashi district in which six people were killed.
On June 7, a helicopter going to Kedarnath had to make an emergency landing on the road due to a technical fault soon after take-off in which the pilot was injured but the five devotees on board were rescued safely.
In the wake of the latest helicopter crash, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said helicopter services on the chardham yatra route will remain suspended for two days.
The weather is bad and the safety of passengers is paramount, Dhami, who chaired a high-level meeting and issued strict instructions for helicopter operations in the state, said.
The chief minister said a strict SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) should be prepared for the operation of heli services in the state, in which a complete check of the technical condition of the helicopter should be made mandatory. Weather status should also be checked before heli operations.
The chief secretary has been directed to constitute a committee of technical experts, which will prepare the SOP after thoroughly reviewing all technical and safety aspects of heli operations.
The committee will ensure that the operation of heli services is completely safe, transparent and as per the prescribed standards, an official statement said.
Dhami has also directed that the high-level committee constituted to investigate helicopter accidents that have took place in the past in the state will thoroughly investigate every aspect of the earlier heli accidents as well as Sunday's heli crash and submit its report.
This committee will investigate the causes of each incident in depth and identify the guilty persons or institutions and recommend strict action against them.
The chief minister said the importance of heli services in the state is immense for pilgrimage, disaster management and emergency services, hence safety will be given top priority in these.
The seven deceased hailed from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Rajveer Singh Chauhan, the pilot of the helicopter, had served in the Indian Army for over 15 years and had vast experience of flying missions over different terrains.
A resident of Shastri Nagar in Jaipur, Chauhan was working as a pilot with Aryan Aviation Private Ltd since October 2024.
Having worked in the Indian Army, Chauhan had a vast experience of flying missions over different terrains, overseeing aerial operations and had been trained in different types of helicopters and their maintenance, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot expressed sorrow over the demise of seven people.
"The death of seven people, including Jaipur resident pilot Rajveer Singh Chauhan, in the helicopter crash near Kedarnath is extremely sad. My deepest condolences are with the bereaved families in this difficult time," he said in a social media post.
Besides the pilot, a couple and their two-year-old daughter hailing from Yavatmal in Maharashtra were killed.
They were identified as Rajkumar Jaiswal, a transport businessman, his wife Shraddha, and their two-year-old daughter Kashi, former Wani MLA Vishvas Nandekar told reporters in Yavatamal.
Jaiswal along with his family members had left from Wani in Yavatmal on June 12 to visit the Kedarnath temple.
A member of the Badrinath-Uttarakhand tempe trust Vikram Singh Rawat was also killed besides Vinood Devi (66) and Tushti Singh (19) from Uttar Pradesh.
