Seven people lost their lives when the helicopter they were travelling in from the Kedarnath temple crashed. In Uttarakhand, the helicopter crashed early Sunday in the Gaurikund forest area due to low visibility. The Bell 407 helicopter, which was being run by a private company called Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd, crashed between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in the Kedar valley. After the crash, it caught fire, and sadly, everyone on board died.
Helicopter Crash Near Kedarnath Kills 7, Probe Underway
Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer, Nandan Singh Rajwar, told PTI that the crash likely happened because of zero visibility caused by bad weather conditions. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will look into the incident and carry out a full investigation. There were a total of seven people on the helicopter — five passengers, one infant, and one crew member. The helicopter took off from Guptakashi at 5:10 in the morning and landed at the Shri Kedarnath ji Helipad around 5:18 am
The helicopter took off again from Kedarnath at 5:19 am for Guptkashi, but unfortunately, it crashed near Gaurikund, as per an official statement. As a safety step, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has cut down the number of helicopter flights going to the Chardham shrines — Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri.
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Helicopter Safety Under Review After Recent Crashes; Chardham Flights Suspended
The watchdog is keeping a close watch and reviewing all helicopter operations to decide if any more actions are needed, the statement added, This helicopter crash happened just a few days after an Air India flight heading to London crashed in Ahmedabad, which sadly took the lives of 241 people on board along with several others on the ground.
Before this, on May 8, a helicopter flying to Gangotri Dham crashed in Uttarkashi district, resulting in the deaths of six people.
On June 7, a helicopter heading to Kedarnath had to make an emergency landing on a road right after take-off because of a technical problem. The pilot got injured, but thankfully, the five devotees on board were saved without harm, Following the recent helicopter crash, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that helicopter services on the Chardham Yatra route will be suspended for two days.
CM Dhami Calls for Strong Safety Rules and Full Investigation of Helicopter Crashes
Dhami, who held a high-level meeting, said the weather is very bad right now and passenger safety is the most important thing. He also gave strict orders to make sure helicopter operations in the state are carried out safely.
The Chief Minister said that a strict SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) must be made for helicopter services in the state. This should include mandatory full checks of the helicopter’s technical condition before flying. He also said that the weather conditions must always be checked before any helicopter operation takes place.
Dhami has also ordered that the high-level committee set up to investigate helicopter accidents which have happened in the state before, will carefully look into all details of the past helicopter accidents along with Sunday’s crash and submit a full report. This committee will deeply investigate the reasons behind each accident, find out who is responsible—whether people or organisations—and suggest strong actions against them.
CM Dhami Stresses Safety; Pilot and Victims Remembered
The Chief Minister said that helicopter services are very important in the state for pilgrimage, disaster relief, and emergency help, so safety will always be the top priority in these services. The seven people who died were from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Rajveer Singh Chauhan, the helicopter pilot, had more than 15 years of service in the Indian Army and a lot of experience flying missions across various terrains. Chauhan, who lives in Shastri Nagar, Jaipur, had been working as a pilot with Aryan Aviation Private Ltd since October 2024.
With his background in the Indian Army, Chauhan had extensive experience flying missions across various terrains, He had also managed aerial operations and was trained in handling different kinds of helicopters as well as their maintenance, according to his LinkedIn profile, Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed his sadness over the death of the seven people The loss of seven lives, including Rajveer Singh Chauhan from Jaipur, in the helicopter crash near Kedarnath is truly very sad. He said in a social media post, “My heartfelt condolences go out to the families who have lost their loved ones during this difficult time
Apart from the pilot, a couple and their two-year-old daughter from Yavatmal in Maharashtra also lost their lives in the crash. They have been identified as Rajkumar Jaiswal, a transport businessman, his wife Shraddha, and their two-year-old daughter Kashi , Former Wani MLA Vishvas Nandekar told reporters this in Yavatmal.