A tragic accident occurred early Sunday morning when a helicopter carrying Char Dham pilgrims crashed near Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, resulting in the deaths of seven individuals, including the pilot, Retired Captain Rajveer Singh Chauhan, and a two-year-old child. The incident unfolded around 5:20 am when the Aryan Aviation Bell 407 chopper lost contact shortly after departing for Guptkashi.
According to Nilesh Bharne, Inspector General of Law and Order, the helicopter went down at Gauri Mai Khark, approximately five kilometers uphill from Gaurikund. Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were quickly organized and dispatched to facilitate recovery efforts at the crash site.
The victims have been identified as Vikram Rawat from Ukhimath in Uttarakhand, Vinod Devi and Trishti Singh from Uttar Pradesh, and a family from Maharashtra, including Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal, Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal, and their two-year-old daughter, Kashi.
The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) has indicated that preliminary investigations suggest the crash may have been influenced by adverse weather conditions, although the exact cause remains undetermined. UCADA’s CEO, Sonika, confirmed the initiation of an investigation, deploying a team to assess the situation on-site.
District tourism development officer Rahul Choubey noted that the pilot may have needed to adjust the flight path due to poor weather, which could have contributed to the disastrous outcome.
In the wake of this incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami mobilized all available resources for rescue operations, including the SDRF and local administrative support. He expressed condolences for the victims’ families and stressed the urgent necessity for enhanced flight safety regulations. As a proactive measure, the Chief Minister announced plans to establish a stringent Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for helicopter services across the state.
In response to the increasing frequency of helicopter-related accidents, a high-level technical committee has been tasked with reviewing all helicopter operations and investigating the underlying causes of recent crashes, including the one that occurred on Sunday. This committee will focus on identifying any technical deficiencies or instances of negligence, with the aim of recommending appropriate corrective actions.
This incident marks the third helicopter-related accident in Uttarakhand in just a few weeks. Earlier, on May 8, six individuals lost their lives in a crash near Gangnani while traveling to Gangotri, and on June 7, another helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing due to a technical failure.
