A helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed early Sunday morning in the remote forested area between Trijuginarayan and Gaurikund in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. The aircraft was flying from Dehradun to the Kedarnath shrine when the accident occurred. All seven people onboard, including the pilot and a young girl, lost their lives.
Local Nepali-origin women cutting grass nearby were the first to report the crash. District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar confirmed the incident and stated that rescue teams have been deployed to the site. The crash is believed to have been caused by poor weather conditions combined with the challenging terrain.
Previous Incident and Official Reactions
This tragedy marks the second major helicopter incident in the Kedarnath region this year. On June 7, a helicopter faced technical issues shortly after taking off from the Badasu helipad en route to Kedarnath, leading the pilot to perform an emergency landing on the Rudraprayag-Gaurikund highway. Fortunately, all five passengers survived that incident, though the pilot suffered a back injury.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed profound shock and extended condolences to the families affected by the crash. Recently, an Air India Boeing aircraft crashed at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport en route to the United Kingdom, resulting in 241 deaths. These incidents underscore the need for urgent improvements in aviation safety across the country.
