Chopper accident in Kedarnath again, Uttarakhand's 5th such mishap since May. Check past incidents

The chopper crash comes days after an Air India flight to London crashed in Ahmedbad, killing 241 people on board and several others on the ground.

A helicopter carrying five pilgrims to the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand crashed in the early hours of June 15 due to poor visibility, killing everyone on board.

The pilot and an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee also died in the accident, which took place above Gaurikund forest.

The deceased hailed from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a post on X that the State Disaster Response Force and other agencies are engaged in relief and rescue operations.

The chopper crash comes days after an Air India flight to London crashed in Ahmedbad, killing 241 people on board and several others on the ground.

Over the last few weeks, the Char Dham route has seen several such incidents. Here’s a list of such accidents:

-On June 7, a helicopter going to Kedarnath had to make an emergency landing on the road due to a technical fault soon after take-off in which the pilot was injured but the five devotees on board were rescued safely.

-On May 17, an air ambulance crash-landed near the Kedarnath helipad as the tail of the helicopter hit the ground during landing. Fortunately, the three medical staff onboard were not hurt in the accident.

-On May 12, a major accident was avoided at the Badrinath helipad as the pilot of a private helicopter lost control after takeoff. No damage or loss of life was reported.

-On May 8, a helicopter going to Gangotri Dham crashed in Uttarkashi district in which six people were killed.

With PTI inputs