NEW DELHI, Oct. 30 -- A helicopter carrying five pilgrims and a pilot crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday while returning from Badrinath, amid adverse weather conditions.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed the crash near Chayee village, close to Joshimath, and said a joint rescue operation was underway. The aircraft was travelling from Badrinath towards Dehradun when contact with it was lost. The district administration, disaster management department and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for the operation. Dhami said he was monitoring the situation and that instructions had been issued to airlift seriously injured people to higher medical centres for treatment. Dheeraj Karki, Chamoli district information officer, said the helicopter had five pilgrims on board when contact with it was lost. The incident was reported as weather conditions deteriorated in the region.
The administration also deployed another helicopter for an aerial search to locate the aircraft. The mountainous terrain and poor weather conditions have posed challenges for search and rescue efforts. Dhami said the authorities were coordinating the rescue efforts and that priority had been given to providing medical assistance to anyone injured in the crash. Further details about the condition of those on board and the circumstances leading to the crash were awaited. The cause of the accident has not yet been established.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.