Guwahati: A helicopter carrying six people, including the pilot, crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, today while travelling from Badrinath to Dehradun. The helicopter, reportedly operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, took off from Badrinath at around 2.14pm amid snowfall and lost contact near the Hathi Parvat area. The aircraft was subsequently located near Chai village, above an Army camp in the Joshimath region.
As per Chamoli district administration, five passengers and one pilot were on board the helicopter. Smoke was reportedly seen rising near Chai village following the aircraft’s disappearance, prompting concerns about a possible crash.
At around 2.21 pm, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Joshimath informed the authorities about the reported crash landing above Chai village. Officials from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) subsequently indicated that the helicopter’s location was showing near the Army camp in the area.
As per the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development department, six people that were on board the helicopter including pilot Capt. Himanshu and five passengers identified as Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K and HS Natraja.
State rescue teams, along with Indian Army team were deployed to the site to carry out search and rescue operations. Authorities also sent two other helicopters to help locate the missing aircraft.
Further details are awaited.