A 23-month-old infant was among the seven pilgrims killed in a chopper crash in Uttarakhand's Gaurikund following their visit to the Kedarnath shrine. The Aryan Aviation chopper took off from the Kedarnath helipad around 5 am and went “missing” after authorities lost contact with it.
Rudraprayag: Debris of a helicopter that crashed near the Kedarnath shrine. (PTI)
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Rahul Chaubey, the district tourism officer, told HT that there were seven people on board the helicopter, including the pilot. The officer attributed the crash to bad weather.
"There were seven people on board, including the pilot, five passengers and an infant,” he told HT.
“The chopper was returning from Kedarnath Dham to its base in Guptkashi when it encountered sudden adverse weather conditions in the valley. The pilot attempted to navigate the helicopter out of the valley; however, the aircraft crashed during the effort,” he added.
"Very sad news has been received about a helicopter crash in the Rudraprayag district. SDRF, local administration, and other rescue teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations," he wrote on X.
The incident comes days after an Air India flight to London crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board and several others on the ground.
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Home/India News/Kedarnath chopper crash: Infant among 7 killed in tragic accident
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