A helicopter transporting pilgrims from Kedarnath to Guptkashi tragically crashed near Gaurikund in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district early Sunday morning, resulting in the death of all seven people on board. Authorities confirmed that the aircraft lost contact shortly after 5:20 AM and was later found to have gone down in the Gauri Mai Khark area, roughly 5 kilometers uphill from Gaurikund.
Among those who lost their lives were the pilot, Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan from Jaipur, and six passengers—Vikram Rawat from Uttarakhand, Vinod Devi and Trishti Singh from Uttar Pradesh, and three individuals from Maharashtra: Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal, Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal, and a two-year-old child named Kashi.
The helicopter, a BELL 407 operated by Aryan Aviation, reportedly crashed under uncertain circumstances. As per the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), a preliminary inquiry into the incident has begun. Teams from the State and National Disaster Response Forces (SDRF and NDRF) were immediately deployed to the site to carry out rescue and recovery efforts.
UCADA chief Sonika mentioned that a specialist team has been dispatched to investigate the reason behind the crash. Preliminary inputs suggest that adverse weather might have led the pilot to deviate from the original flight path. District tourism officer Rahul Choubey mentioned that low visibility could have played a critical role in the incident.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed condolences and stated that all available resources have been mobilized for the relief mission. He also called for urgent improvements in helicopter safety, instructing officials to form a technical committee to revise current protocols. The committee will be responsible for evaluating flight safety, conducting routine maintenance checks, and implementing stricter weather assessments before takeoff.
This tragic event follows earlier incidents in the state, including a May crash near Gangnani in Uttarkashi that killed six, and a technical fault in early June that forced an emergency landing of another chopper bound for Kedarnath.
