Five passengers from Bengaluru and a pilot from Delhi were killed after a helicopter travelling from Badrinath to Dehradun crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday. The victims included a police personnel and a lawyer, while the pilot was identified as 48-year-old Himanshu Sabharwal.
The crash occurred near Chai village, where the helicopter, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, went down while flying towards Dehradun. All six people on board were killed, and their bodies were recovered after the wreckage was located, Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar confirmed.
The five passengers were residents of Bengaluru. They were identified as Arun Salunke, HS Nagaraja, Prathapa Bachihally Ningarajan, Sudheer K and Shankargowda VB. The pilot, Sabharwal, was a resident of Shalimar Bagh in West Delhi.
Five Passengers From Bengaluru Among The Victims
The passengers have been identified as:
- Arun Salunke, 44: A resident of Bengaluru, Salunke was a policeman.
- HS Nagaraja, 51: He was among the five passengers travelling from Bengaluru. Further details about him were not immediately available.
- Prathapa Bachihally Ningarajan, 41: A Bengaluru resident who was travelling on the helicopter.
- Sudheer K, 49: Another passenger from Bengaluru.
- Shankargowda VB, 39: A Bengaluru resident who worked as a lawyer.
The helicopter was being flown by Captain Himanshu Sabharwal, 48, who lived in Shalimar Bagh, West Delhi. The six were travelling aboard the aircraft when it crashed in the mountainous region of Chamoli.
What Happened Before The Helicopter Crashed?
The helicopter, bearing registration number VT-HCX, was operated by Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt Ltd. It took off from Badrinath at around 1:14 pm on Friday and was headed for Sahastradhara heliport in Dehradun.
The aircraft lost communication while flying over the Joshimath valley. Its tracking system also stopped showing its location, following which authorities launched a search operation.
The wreckage was eventually located near Chai village, close to Joshimath. The crash site was near the JP Power House, with reports of smoke and a burning object in the forested area above the JP Dam prompting further searches.
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Bad Weather Hampered Search And Rescue Efforts
The district administration mobilised teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Medical personnel were also sent to the area as officials worked to locate the missing helicopter.
However, continuous rainfall and low cloud cover affected visibility and made aerial surveillance difficult.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a joint operation involving the district administration, disaster management department and SDRF had been launched. Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said rescue efforts began soon after officials received information about the incident.
The helicopter crash has prompted aviation authorities to ground the entire fleet of Trans Bharat Aviation as a precautionary measure.