In brief
A helicopter that departed Badrinath for Joshimath crashed near Chayee village on Friday, killing all six onboard. Uttarakhand officials confirmed the loss, expressed condolences, and will conduct a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident.
Friday, a helicopter that left Badrinath for Joshimath crashed near Chayee village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, killing all six people on board, officials said.
The aircraft took off from Badrinath, a Hindu pilgrimage town, at about 1:14 p.m. amid snowfall and lost contact as it approached the Hathi Parvat area before the crash.
Prateek Jain, chief executive of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, confirmed that the pilot and five passengers died in the accident.
"A detailed investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the accident, and based on those findings, a decision will be made regarding how shuttle and charter operations will proceed for the remainder of the season," Jain said.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and directed officials to conduct a thorough investigation into the accident.
The crash occurred about 290 km northeast of Dehradun, the state capital, near the village of Chayee close to Joshimath. Authorities are currently reviewing flight records and wreckage to establish the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
