CHAMOLI:
A helicopter carrying five pilgrims from Badrinath to Dehradun crashed into a hillside in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath region on Friday, killing all six people on board, including the pilot.
The privately operated helicopter, belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation, lost communication less than two minutes after taking off from Badrinath for Sahastradhara in Dehradun. The wreckage and bodies were found near Chai village in Chamoli district. Difficult terrain and darkness delayed the recovery of the bodies until Saturday.
The helicopter took off at around 1.12 pm and lost contact at about 1.14 pm while flying over the Joshimath valley. An Army team spotted the aircraft losing altitude rapidly, with smoke rising from it, in the Hathi Parvat area. The pilot was identified as Captain Himanshu Sabharwal, 48, from Delhi. The five passengers were from Karnataka, including Bengaluru Police Central Crime Branch inspector Arun Salunke.
The India Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert for Chamoli, forecasting thunderstorms, lightning, hail and gusty winds. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has initiated a probe into the crash. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the deaths and ordered a detailed investigation.
As a precautionary measure, the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority grounded the entire fleet of Trans Bharat Aviation. Police, State Disaster Response Force and Army teams were involved in the search operation. The accident has once again raised concerns over helicopter safety during the Char Dham pilgrimage season.