Helicopter Crash Near Kedarnath Claims Seven Lives, Including Toddler

A helicopter crash in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district claimed the lives of all seven people on board early Sunday morning. The helicopter, ferrying Hindu pilgrims from the holy shrine of Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, crashed shortly after takeoff, according to officials from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).

The chopper took off around 5:20 AM IST and was on a brief 10-minute journey when it went down, reportedly due to poor weather conditions. A massive fire followed the crash, severely burning the bodies and complicating identification efforts. Among the deceased was a two-year-old girl, making the incident all the more heartbreaking.

State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed the incident in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), expressing grief over the loss and stating that a full investigation had been ordered. He added that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with local authorities and emergency teams, was swiftly deployed to the crash site to carry out relief and recovery operations.

Local villagers collecting fodder nearby were the first to spot the wreckage and promptly alerted the nearby officials. Preliminary assessments suggest that poor visibility and inclement weather may have led to the crash, though the final cause will be determined following a thorough investigation by aviation experts.

Five pilgrims, the pilot and an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee were among those killed.

All passengers on board were Indian nationals from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The incident has cast a pall over the ongoing pilgrimage season, with government urging caution and strict adherence to weather advisories for all aerial operations in the hilly terrain of Uttarakhand.