At least five persons are feared dead as a helicopter with tourists onboard crashed in Uttarkhand's Uttarkashi district on Thursday. As per reports, there were seven passengers onboard and rescue operations are underway at the crash site.
According to authorities, the helicopter with seven persons onboard crashed at Gangnani in Uttarkashi during the early hours of Thursday. Uttarkashi District Disaster Management Officer Shardul Singh told PTI that one person has been rescued and relief efforts are progressing in the area. Authorities said the cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained.
The helicopter, reportedly with six passengers and a pilot onboard, was flying from Dehradun to the Harsil helipad. The tourists were travelling to Gangnani and were planning to cover a distance of around 30km from the helipad by road.
Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey soon after they heard about the incident, said relief and rescue teams were mobilised and rushed to the site to assist with rescue operations and provide medical aid.
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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami condoled the incident and added that rescue operations are underway. "Very sad news has been received about some casualties in a helicopter crash near Gangani in Uttarkashi. SDRF and district administration teams have immediately reached the spot for relief and rescue work," Chief Minister Dhami said in a post on X.
Dhami added that the situation is being monitored. "I have instructed the administration to provide all possible help to the injured and investigate the accident. I am constantly in touch with the officials in this regard and every situation is being monitored," he added.
The Union civil aviation ministry said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will conduct an investigation into the accident involving helicopter Bell 407 VT-OXF of Aero Trans Service Private Limited. The ministry said the chartered helicopter from Ahmedabad had six passengers and one captain onboard.