Now chopper crash leaves 7 dead in India

Seven people were killed as an Aryan Aviation Helicopter flying them from the Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand crashed in a forest, NDTV reported.

The seven victims in the chopper crash included the pilot. During its 10-minute ride, the chopper crashed between Gaurikund and Sonprayag.

The incident occurred early morning, at 5:20, with seven people on board - six pilgrims (five adults and a 23-month-old child) and a pilot, according to a statement issued by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). All were charred to death.

As the chopper was returning after Kedarnath Dham visit, the weather had deteriorated. The pilot attempted to wear off chopper from the valley but it crashed.

“The weather turned bad during the return journey. The pilot tried to move the chopper out of the valley but it crashed near Gaurikund. Authorities, including NDRF and SDRF are leading the operations,” said Rahul Chaubey from the District Tourism Development.

One of the passengers was a Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee, said Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey. The other five pilgrims were from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Among the dead are three members of a Jaiswal family from Maharashtra's Yavatmal - Rajkumar Jaiswal, Shradhha Jaiswal and their 23-month-old daughter Kashi Rajkumar Jaiswal. Their son, Vivaan, got saved as he stayed back with his grandfather.

This is the fifth accident since the portals of the Himalayan temple Kedarnath opened on May 2. Earlier, on June 7, a helicopter on its way to Kedarnath was forced to land on a highway in Uttarakhand after developing a technical snag during take-off. It came dangerously close to buildings, and its tail rotor fell on a parked car. The five pilgrims on board came out safely, while the pilot sustained minor injuries.