Helicopter crashes in Kedarnath valley: All 7 on board dead, poor visibility caused accident - what we know so far

A helicopter carrying pilgrims crashed near the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand early Sunday morning, killing all seven people on board. The accident occurred amid poor visibility shortly after the chopper took off from Kedarnath for Guptkashi at around 5:30 am.

- Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told PTI the crash occurred above the forests of Gaurikund, in an area known as Gauri Mai Khark, nearly 5 km from the town. “Zero visibility caused by bad weather apparently led to the crash,” Rajwar said, adding that rescue and relief teams had been dispatched to the site.

- The helicopter, operated by Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd, caught fire after it went down between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in the Kedarghati region. Those killed included five pilgrims, the pilot, and an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee.

- The victims were identified as Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal (35) and Kashi (2) from Maharashtra, Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41) from Gujarat, Vikram Singh Rawat from Uttarakhand, Vinood Devi (66) and Tushti Singh (19) from Uttar Pradesh, and Capt. Rajveer Singh Chauhan, the pilot.

- District Tourism Development Officer and nodal officer for heli services Rahul Chaubey said search operations began immediately after the helicopter was reported missing early Sunday.

- Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on X that the State Disaster Response Force and other agencies were engaged in rescue operations. He also issued directives for stricter regulation of helicopter services in the state. "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,” Dhami said, as per an official statement.

- The chief secretary has been instructed to form a technical expert committee to review all safety aspects and formulate the new SOP. In addition, a high-level committee investigating past helicopter accidents in Uttarakhand has been tasked with examining Sunday’s crash in depth, identifying responsible parties, and recommending strict action.

- The latest incident comes after a string of helicopter-related mishaps in the region. On May 8, a helicopter en route to Gangotri Dham crashed in Uttarkashi, killing six people. On June 7, a helicopter bound for Kedarnath had to make an emergency landing after takeoff due to a technical issue, injuring the pilot.

(With inputs from PTI)