Jyotirmath, 30 October (H.S.): A helicopter operated by Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt. Ltd. crashed in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday while returning from Badrinath Dham to the Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun, killing all six people on board, including the pilot. The aircraft crashed in a remote mountainous area above Chai village in the Jyotirmath tehsil. An Indian Army team reached the crash site and confirmed the deaths of all six occupants.

According to a preliminary report issued by the District Disaster Management Officer at 5:30 pm on Friday, the helicopter had taken off from Badrinath Dham at around 1:12 pm for Sahastradhara in Dehradun. It subsequently crashed at around 2 pm in the mountainous terrain above Chhai village in Jyotirmath tehsil.

The District Disaster Management Department confirmed that all six people, including the pilot, had died at the site of the accident. Following reports of the crash, teams from the district administration, the Indian Army, police, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were mobilised and dispatched to the area.

According to the list of victims provided by officials of the Army's 9th Independent Mountain Brigade to the district administration, those killed in the crash included pilot Himanshu Sabharwal and five passengers identified as Arun Salunke, H.S. Nataraj, Pratap Bachihalli Ningarajan, Sudhir K. and Shankargowda V.B. All five passengers were reported to be residents of Karnataka.

According to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the helicopter was operating under the call sign VT-HCX. It had departed from Badrinath for Sahastradhara in Dehradun. While flying over the Joshimath Valley, the aircraft lost communication, and its tracking system also stopped transmitting its location.

As soon as the incident was reported, teams from the Indian Army, the Chamoli district administration and the SDRF were dispatched to conduct search and rescue operations. As a precautionary measure, UCADA had also grounded the entire fleet of Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt. Ltd.

Subsequently, an Army team reached the crash site near Chhai village in Jyotirmath tehsil and confirmed that all six people aboard, including the pilot, had lost their lives.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the loss of lives in the helicopter crash in Chamoli district. Praying for peace to the departed souls, he conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.

The Chief Minister directed the concerned officials to conduct a detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to the accident, stressing that every aspect of the incident must be examined thoroughly. He also instructed the district administration to extend all possible assistance to the affected families and ensure that necessary relief measures and other arrangements were put in place without delay.

Uttarakhand Governor Dr Dhal Singh Bisen also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the helicopter accident. He prayed for eternal peace for the departed souls and extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar