A helicopter going from Dehradun to Kedarnath crashed due to bad weather in Gaurikund on Sunday morning, killing five people. There were six people, including a child, on board the helicopter that took off at 5 AM.

The passengers in the helicopter were from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. In view of relief and rescue, NDRF and SDRF teams have been dispatched to the site of the incident, said Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).

The Uttarakhand ADG Law and Order, Dr V Murugeshan, earlier informed that the helicopter had gone missing between Trijuginarayan and Gaurikund.

The incident comes just a week after a private helicopter carrying five Kedarnath pilgrims made an emergency landing on a highway near Badasu in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. 

Preliminary reports suggested a technical malfunction jammed the flight controls, forcing the pilot to attempt a crash-landing. During the landing, the helicopter’s rotor blade snapped off and struck a nearby car. No casualties were reported. The incident caused panic among onlookers, while authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the malfunction. 

Uttarakhand CM Dhami Mourns Loss

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami mourned the loss and informed that rescue teams were involved in relief operations. “Very sad news has been received about a helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district. SDRF, local administration and other rescue teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations. I pray to Baba Kedar for the safety of all the travellers,” he said in a post on X.