A tragic helicopter crash en route from Kedarnath to Guptkashi claimed seven lives, including six pilgrims and a pilot; weather and mechanical failure likely contributors.
Seven people, including a pilot and six pilgrims, were killed in a Kedarnath helicopter crash on Tuesday morning when an Aryan Aviation chopper en route from Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi went down in a forested area between Gaurikund and Sonprayag. The crash, which occurred at 5:20 a.m., has raised concerns over the safety of aerial pilgrimage routes in Uttarakhand amid reports of technical failure and poor weather conditions.
In a heart-wrenching incident, a helicopter ferrying pilgrims from the Kedarnath shrine to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand crashed on Tuesday morning, killing all seven on board — including six passengers and the pilot. The Aryan Aviation helicopter went down during what was meant to be a brief 10-minute flight, crashing in a forested zone between Gaurikund and Sonprayag at approximately 5:20 a.m.
According to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the victims included pilgrims from multiple states — Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Among them were five adults and one child. The pilot, who also lost his life, was steering the aircraft through challenging flying conditions, reportedly due to technical issues compounded by poor weather.
The first reports of the crash came from local residents who had ventured into the area to collect fodder for livestock. Spotting the wreckage, they immediately raised an alarm. Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were dispatched and are currently working at the crash site.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed the tragic event in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), calling it “extremely distressing.” He assured that the SDRF, local administration, and other rescue agencies are engaged in full-scale relief operations.
The Kedarnath region has witnessed a series of aviation incidents this year. This marks the fifth reported accident since the temple’s portals opened on May 2. Just a few days earlier, on June 7, another helicopter bound for Kedarnath developed a technical snag shortly after takeoff and was forced to make an emergency landing on a highway. The chopper narrowly avoided a serious crash, hitting a building and damaging a car. While all five pilgrims aboard escaped injury, the pilot sustained minor wounds.
This latest tragedy has once again brought attention to safety protocols surrounding high-altitude pilgrimages, especially those involving helicopter travel in volatile weather conditions and mountainous terrain.