Helicopter carrying Kedarnath pilgrims crashes due to poor visibility, all seven onboard dead

A helicopter ferrying pilgrims back from the Kedarnath temple crashed on Tuesday amid poor visibility, killing all seven people onboard.

The chopper burst into flames close to Garud Chatti and Jungle Chatti, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said.

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief and ordered a detailed inquiry into the crash.

केदारनाथ के समीप गरुड़ चट्टी में दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण हेलीकॉप्टर क्रैश में कुछ लोगों के हताहत होने का अत्यंत दु:खद समाचार प्राप्त हुआ है। राहत और बचाव कार्य हेतु SDRF और जिला प्रशासन की टीम घटनास्थल पर पहुंच चुकी है। इस दु:खद घटना के विस्तृत जांच के आदेश दे दिए गए है।

— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) October 18, 2022

PM Modi said that he was anguished by the helicopter crash and said that his thoughts were with the bereaved families.

Anguished by the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 18, 2022

President Droupadi Murmu also condoled the death of pilgrims and the pilot. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, she said.

केदारनाथ धाम के पास हुए हेलीकॉप्टर दुर्घटना में पायलट सहित कई तीर्थयात्रियों के निधन का समाचार बहुत दुखद है। अपने प्रियजनों को खोने वाले परिवारों के प्रति मैं गहन शोक-संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करती हूं।

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) October 18, 2022

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said his ministry is constantly monitoring the situation.

"The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate. We are in touch with the state government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss, and are constantly monitoring the situation," he said in a tweet.

The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate. We are in touch with the State government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss, and are constantly monitoring the situation.

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) October 18, 2022

A senior civil aviation ministry official said the helicopter involved in the crash was operated by Aryan Aviation.

#WATCH | Uttarakhand: A helicopter carrying Kedarnath pilgrims from Phata crashes, casualties feared; administration team left for the spot for relief and rescue work. Further details awaited pic.twitter.com/sDf4x1udlJ

— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2022

"According to the preliminary information, a Bell 407 helicopter VT-RPN crashed on the way from Kedarnath to Guptkashi, possibly due to bad weather," a senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

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