Uttarakhand Chamoli Helicopter Crash Updates: A helicopter carrying six people, including the pilot, has crashed amid snowfall in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath. The Dehradun-bound helicopter, owned by a private company, Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt, took off from Badrinath around 1:14 PM.
The helicopter, which bore call sign VT-HCX, lost communication when it was flying over Joshimath valley, officials said. The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority has confirmed that the helicopter was carrying six people, including the pilot. The helicopter, owned by a private company, Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt, and bearing call sign VT-HCX, lost communication when it was flying over Joshimath valley, it said. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has confirmed that the helicopter has crashed.
It was immediately not clear whether the weather played any part in the crash, but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an ‘orange’ alert for Chamoli district for today, forecasting thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds accompanied by heavy rainfall. These include forced emergency landings resulting in injuries, technical forced landings, or ground safety fatalities. “We have received the unfortunate news of a helicopter crash near the Chaien village, close to Joshimath. A joint rescue operation is being conducted by the district administration, disaster management department, and SDRF,” he wrote in Hindi on X. “Instructions have been given to immediately airlift the seriously injured to higher centers for better treatment. A helicopter carrying six people has gone missing on the Joshimath-Badrinath route in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli.
The Dehradun-bound helicopter took off from Badrinath around 1:14 PM, it said. Over the past decade, Uttarakhand has recorded at least 12 distinct helicopter incidents, comprising five major fatal crashes and seven non-fatal incidents. The helicopter reportedly took off from Badrinath around 2:15 PM amid snowfall and lost contact near the Hathi Parvat area.
“At the same time, the tracking system could no longer track the helicopter, and its current location has not been ascertained yet,” the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority said in a statement. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the chopper crashed near the ChaieN Village. “A joint rescue operation is being conducted by the district administration, disaster management department, and SDRF,” he wrote on X, adding that he is continuously monitoring the entire incident. “At the same time, the tracking system could no longer track the helicopter, and its current location has not been ascertained yet,” it said in a statement. He said he is continuously monitoring the entire incident. I pray to God for the safe return of the passengers,” Dhami said.
