RUDRAPRAYAG, UTTARAKHAND: A tragic helicopter crash in a forested stretch between Gaurikund and Sonprayag claimed the lives of all seven people on board, including the pilot and six pilgrims, early Tuesday morning.
The ill-fated Aryan Aviation chopper was on a short, 10-minute journey from the Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi when it went down at approximately 5:20 AM, according to a statement by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).
Those killed included five adult pilgrims, a child, and the pilot. The passengers hailed from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
Local residents, who were out collecting fodder for their livestock, reportedly spotted the crash site and alerted authorities. NDRF and SDRF teams were immediately dispatched and are currently involved in recovery and rescue operations.
Preliminary inputs suggest that bad weather conditions and possible technical issues may have caused the crash. An investigation is expected to confirm the exact cause.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the incident in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“Received extremely distressing news of a helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district. SDRF, local administration, and other rescue agencies are actively conducting rescue and relief operations.”
जनपद रुद्रप्रयाग में हेलीकॉप्टर के दुर्घटनाग्रस्त होने का अत्यंत दुःखद समाचार प्राप्त हुआ है। एसडीआरएफ, स्थानीय प्रशासन एवं अन्य रेस्क्यू दल राहत एवं बचाव कार्यों में जुटे हैं।
बाबा केदार से सभी यात्रियों के सकुशल होने की कामना करता हूँ।
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) June 15, 2025
This marks the fifth aviation-related incident since the opening of the Kedarnath shrine’s portals on May 2. Just days earlier, on June 7, another helicopter en route to Kedarnath was forced to make an emergency landing on a highway due to a technical fault during takeoff. In that incident, five pilgrims escaped unharmed, though the pilot suffered minor injuries and a parked car was damaged by the falling tail rotor.
Authorities are reviewing flight safety measures in the region amid increased pilgrim traffic during the Char Dham Yatra season.
