Uttarakhand Chopper Crash: Rescue operations resumed at 5 am on Saturday following the deaths of six people in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district after a helicopter was missing on the Joshimath-Badrinath route. As the probe intensifies, teams from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are scheduled to reach the crash site on Saturday. Relatives of all six helicopter survivors will also arrive at Badrinath.
The SDRF and police teams will bring down the bodies. These teams were unable to reach the spot on Friday due to darkness and difficult roads.
What we know about the crash?
The helicopter, which took off from Badrinath around 1:14 pm amid snowfall, lost contact near the Hathi Parvat area. The chopper crashed into a hillside near the JP Power House near Marwari Bridge around 2.20 pm, officials said. The deceased have been identified as Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K, HS Natraja and pilot Capt Himanshu.
The search and rescue (SAR) operation at the helicopter crash site in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district resumed during the early hours of Saturday, with the remaining teams set to trek from their current location to the inaccessible site, officials said.
An army team reached the crash site and conducted a search operation, confirming that all six individuals on board had perished. The bodies were recovered near the wreckage in a remote, heavily forested mountain region. The search team also alerted local authorities to potential risks from wild Himalayan bears in the vicinity. Given the hazardous terrain, wildlife presence, and impending nightfall, officials paused further deployment to the site overnight.
The crash comes amid concerns over helicopter safety in the Char Dham sector. In an accident investigation report released earlier this month, the AAIB said eight helicopter accidents had been reported in the sector between 2015 and 2025, with most attributed to flight crews' failure to adhere to standard operating procedures.