Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June15: All the seven occupants of a helicopter including the pilot were killed as the chopper while returning from the Kedarnath temple to fly the passengers back to Guptkashi crashed in a forest between Gaurikund and Sonprayag in Uttarakhand early on Sunday morning.
The victims were the passengers of the Aryan Aviation Helicopter and its pilot, according to a statement issued by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).
The incident occurred early morning, at 5:20, with seven people on board – six pilgrims (five adults and a 23-month-old child) and pilot for the 10 minute flight back to the base. All were charred to death.
As the chopper was returning after Kedarnath Dham visit, the weather had deteriorated. The pilot attempted to wear off chopper from the valley but it crashed. “The weather turned bad during the return journey. The pilot tried to move the chopper out of the valley but it crashed near Gaurikund. Authorities, including NDRF and SDRF are leading the operations,” said Rahul Chaubey from the District Tourism Development.
“Shri Kedarnath ji- Aryan Helipad, Guptkashi was involved in an accident. There were 5 passengers, one infant and one crew member on board. Helicopter took off from Guptkashi at 05:10 Hrs and Landed at Shri Kedarnath ji Helipad at 05:18 hrs. Helicopter took off again at 05:19 hrs. for Guptkashi and crashed near Gaurikund,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.
This was the fifth helicopter accident in Uttarakhand in around 40 days. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took to X and said, “Very sad news has been received about a helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district. SDRF, local administration and other rescue teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations.” The government has also suspended all helicopter operations to Kedarnath shrine for two days, on Sunday and Monday.
Mr Dhami said, “These services will remain closed until the safety of the passengers is ensured. Life of every passenger is of utmost importance to us.” Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the crash. The DGCA said they have already reduced frequency of helicopter operations to Char Dham and was carrying out the enhanced surveillance and reviewing the operation for any further action
One of the deceased passengers was a Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee, Vikram Rawat from Ukhimath in Uttarakhand, said Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey. Among the dead are three members of a Jaiswal family from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal – Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal, Shraddha Jaiswal and their 23-month-old daughter Kashi Rajkumar Jaiswal. Their son, Vivaan, got saved as he stayed back with his grandfather. The other pilgrims have been identified as 66-year-old Vinod Devi and 19-year-old Trishti Singh, both from Uttar Pradesh. Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan, 39-year-old pilot, a resident of Jaipur also died in the crash.
Locals, who were out to collect fodder for their cattle, spotted the crashed helicopter and informed the officials. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached Gaurikund by 7 am and from there, they began a trek to the incident site and started the rescue operation at 8:55 am. All bodies have been recovered. Since it is difficult to identify the bodies, a DNA test will be conducted before handing them over to the families, Inspector General Rajiv Swaroop said.
This was the fifth accident since the portals of the Himalayan temple Kedarnath opened on May 2, leaving 13 dead. Earlier, on June 7, a helicopter on its way to Kedarnath was forced to land on a highway in Uttarakhand after developing a technical snag during take-off. It came dangerously close to buildings, and its tail rotor fell on a parked car. The five pilgrims on board came out safely, while the pilot sustained minor injuries.
“As a precautionary measure, DGCA has already reduced frequency of helicopter operations to Char Dham, is carrying out the enhanced surveillance and reviewing the operation for any further action. The accident would be investigated by the AAIB,” the agency added.
Chief Minister Dhami chaired a high-level meeting in the wake of the helicopter crash in Kedarnath valley. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Tourism and Civil Aviation Secretary Sachin Kurve, Disaster Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials attended the meeting, official sources said.
Following Sunday’s incident, the Chief Minister issued strict instructions regarding helicopter operations and called for stringent standard operating procedure (SOP) for operating helicopter in Uttarakhand. “Chief Minister Dhami said a strict SOP should be prepared for the operation of heli services in the state, in which a complete check of the technical condition of the helicopter and taking accurate weather information before the flight should be made mandatory.”
Mr Dhami has directed the Chief Secretary to constitute a committee of technical experts, which will prepare the SOP. As a precautionary measure, the DGCA has already reduced frequency of helicopter operations to Char Dham, is carrying out the enhanced surveillance and reviewing the operation for any further action. Mr Dhami also called to set up a control and command centre and strict actions against the culprits in this accident.
The Chief Minister said a strict SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) should be prepared for the operation of helicopter 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 helicopter 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 helicopter operations. The committee will ensure that the operation of helicopter services is completely safe, transparent and as per the prescribed standards, an official statement said.
Mr 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 helicopter accidents as well as Sunday’s helicopter 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 helicopter services in the State is immense for pilgrimage, disaster management and emergency services, hence safety will be given top priority in these.
