A helicopter carrying six men crashed in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, killing all aboard on Friday while they were flying from Badrinath to Dehradun. The helicopter had initially been reported missing, prompting the district administration to launch a search operation. Aerial search teams were deployed, and smoke was spotted near Chaien village. The five passengers were from Bengaluru, while the pilot was from Delhi.
The pilot was Himanshu Sabharwal, 48, a resident of Shalimar Bagh in West Delhi. The passengers were Pratap B Ningaraju, 41, Arun Salunke, 44, Sudhir K, 49, HS Nataraj, 51, and Shankar Gowda VB, 39, all residents of Bengaluru. Salunke was a policeman, and Shankargouda a lawyer, while further details on others were not immediately available.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a rescue effort was carried out involving the district administration, the disaster management department and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
Multiple Agencies Join Search Operation
Medical personnel were dispatched to the area as authorities intensified search operations. Deputy Superintendent of Police Madan Singh Bisht said officials were collecting information about the incident and verifying details.
Chamoli District Disaster Management Officer Nandkishore Joshi said reports indicated that a white object was seen burning in the forested area above the JP Dam, raising suspicions that it could be the missing helicopter. Additional helicopters were pressed into service for surveillance and search.
According to initial reports, the helicopter, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation and bearing registration number VT-HCX, took off from Badrinath on Friday at 1:14 pm. The aircraft was last in contact near the Army post on Hathi Pahad, opposite Joshimath.
Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said rescue efforts were launched immediately after the administration received information.
Search operations were hampered by adverse weather conditions, with continuous rainfall and low cloud cover affecting visibility in the region.
(With inputs from agencies)
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