Rishikesh, Nov. 1 -- The bodies of the victims of the helicopter crash near Joshimath in Chamoli district have been recovered and airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh on Sunday morning.

The crash site lay in an extremely rugged, high-altitude area. Joint teams from the Indian Army, ITBP, SDRF, NDRF, the district administration, police and the Forest Department trekked up difficult mountain trails from the Pandukeshwar side, reaching the spot late in the evening. The rescue teams then carried the mortal remains 12 km on foot to the nearest road head, from where they were flown by helicopter to AIIMS Rishikesh. The bodies will be handed over to families after post-mortem examination.

Karnataka MP Shreshth Patel (Hassan) said a relative was among ...