Seven people killed after helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims crashes in India
15 June 2025, 08:46
A helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims has crashed in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, killing seven people on board, officials said.
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The aircraft was flying to Guptkashi, a prominent Hindu pilgrimage site in the Himalayas, from Kedarnath temple town, when it crashed.
The accident occurred minutes after the helicopter took off, officials said, on what should have been a 10-minute flight.
The helicopter, operated by Aryan Aviation, a private helicopter service company, went down in a forested area several miles from the Kedarnath pilgrimage route at around 5.30am local time.
Officials said the crash was believed to have been caused by poor weather conditions.
Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said the "safety procedures of helicopter operations are being closely examined".
A translation of a post shared to X reads: "The helicopter accident in Rudraprayag is extremely unfortunate. I express my deepest condolences to the deceased in this painful accident."
He added: "Our effort is to ensure that no such accident occurs in future, for this SOP is being made more stringent and effective. Any kind of compromise on the safety of passengers will not be accepted."
Read more: Tears at Air India crash vigil as sisters orphaned by disaster mourned by faith leaders
रुद्रप्रयाग में हुई हेलीकॉप्टर दुर्घटना अत्यंत दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है। इस पीड़ादायक हादसे में दिवंगत जनों के प्रति अपनी गहरी संवेदना प्रकट करता हूं। ईश्वर से प्रार्थना है कि दिवंगतों की आत्मा को श्री चरणों में स्थान एवं शोकाकुल परिजनों को यह असीम कष्ट सहन करने की शक्ति प्रदान करें।… pic.twitter.com/LaD7M1Gb4D
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) June 15, 2025
The tragedy comes just days after 241 passengers and crew died in an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The total number of people killed is thought to be at least 270, after the plane crashed into a medical college hostel in a residential area.
The sole surviving passenger, British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, is still under observation for some of his injuries but is “doing very well and will be ready to be discharged any time soon”, Dr Dhaval Gameti said.
The black box flight recorder was recovered from a roof near the crash site and could reveal vital clues about the cause of the accident.
Hundreds of relatives have provided DNA samples to help officials identify victims’ remains.
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