Dehradun: A helicopter operated by Trans Bharat Aviation crashed into a hillside near Joshimath in Uttarakhand on Friday afternoon while travelling from Badrinath to Dehradun. Six people, including the pilot, were on board, officials said. The condition of those aboard was not immediately confirmed.
According to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, the helicopter, bearing the call sign VT-HCX, took off from Badrinath at around 1.15 pm for Sahastradhara in Dehradun. Contact with the aircraft was lost at approximately 2.20 pm while it was flying over the Joshimath valley. The helicopter reportedly crashed near Marwari Bridge and the JP Power House.
The pilot was identified as Captain Himanshu. The five passengers were named as Pratap, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudhir K. and H.S. Nataraja. Officials said the passengers were believed to be from Bengaluru, although their details were still being verified.
Teams from the Chamoli district administration, police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were dispatched to the area for search and rescue operations. The exact crash site and the condition of the occupants were initially unclear. Officials said another rescue helicopter would be deployed when weather conditions permitted.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was monitoring the situation and had directed officials to ensure that anyone seriously injured was taken promptly to advanced medical facilities. In a post on X, he said a joint team of the district administration, disaster management department and SDRF was carrying out the rescue operation.
As a precautionary measure, Trans Bharat Aviation temporarily suspended flights operated by all its helicopters following the incident. Further details about the cause of the crash and the condition of those on board were awaited.
