Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash
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The Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash was an aircraft crash that occurred on 15 June 2025. At around 5:20 am, a helicopter carrying 7 people, including the pilot as well as a 23-month-old and 10-year-old girl, traveling from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi crashed near Gaurikund in the state of Uttarakhand, India, killing all on board and one individual on the ground.[1] Officials said that the aircraft veered off course due to severe weather conditions.[2] Nandan Singh Rajwar, a local disaster management official, immediately deployed rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local administration to the scene.[3] [2]Aryan Aviation operated the helicopter.[1] At the time, this was the 5th such incident to occur along the Char Dham yatra route in the last six weeks in Uttarakhand.[4][2]
Background
[edit]At 5:17 am local time, a helicopter carrying 7 people total took off from Kedarnath heading for Guptkashi in the Himalayas.[3][2] At approximately 5:30 am, just 13 minutes after takeoff, the helicopter crashed in the forested area above Gaurimai Khark, reportedly due to poor weather conditions. Officials from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority reported that a fire broke out after the crash leading to the bodies being heavily burned.[5]
Investigation
[edit]Preliminary investigations suggest that adverse weather conditions and zero visibility were the cause of the accident.[6] District tourism development officer Rahul Chaubey said they received alerts from the aircraft shortly after takeoff and launched search and rescue missions immediately.[6]
Reaction
[edit]Following the incident, India’s Civil Aviation Ministry announced that they were suspending the operations of Aryan Aviation and directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to oversee all helicopter activity in the region, according to Press Trust of India.[3] Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the incident and ordered a technical committee to review safety norms.[2] Dhami also announced that helicopter services would be halted for Sunday, 15 June, and Monday, 16 June, in the wake of the chopper crash.[6] He also ordered for the preparation of strict SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for helicopter services in the state.[6]
Victims
[edit]The deceased have been identified as the pilot, Captain Rajveer Singh Chauhan, and passengers Vikram Rawat, Vinod Devi, Trishti Singh, Rajkumar Jaiswal, his wife Shraddha Jaiswal and their two-year-old daughter, Kashi.[5] The pilot and victims were from the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh and western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash: 7 Killed, Including Infant, As Chopper Crashes Near Kedarnath Route; Terrifying Visuals Surface". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ a b c d e "7 killed in helicopter crash in Uttarakhand, 5th such incident in last 6 weeks". India Today. 2025-06-15. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ a b c d "Helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims crashes in India's Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, killing 7". AP News. 2025-06-15. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ "Uttarakhand Helicopter crash: Operations of Aryan Aviation for Char Dham Yatra suspended with immediate effect". The Economic Times. 2025-06-15. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ a b "Seven killed in helicopter crash in India's Uttarakhand state". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ a b c d "Kedarnath tragedy: Helicopter services halted for two days— What led to the crash that killed seven?". The Times of India. 2025-06-15. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
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