Two days after the Kedarnath helicopter crash that claimed the lives of seven passengers, including six pilgrims and the pilot, helicopter services to the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand have been resumed. The chopper which was carrying six pilgrims along with a pilot crashed on a hill and burst into flames just after it took off from the Kedarnath shrine for Guptkashi around 11.45 am on Tuesday. There were 5 women in the helicopter. The chopper crashed somewhere near Dev Darshini, between Garudchatti and Lincholi.
According to the State Disaster Response Force, the accident happened because of the dense fog. District Disaster management officer N K Rajwar said, “It looks like the pilot, after seeing the fog ahead, tried to return to Kedarnath. In the process, the chopper’s tail hit the ground as it was flying too low.” There are several companies which provide heli services to Kedarnath from different locations and this chopper operated by Delhi-based Aryan Aviation, was a Bell-407, registered as VT-RPN.
There were a total of 7 people in the chopper identified as Purva Ramanuj (26), Kruti Barad (30), Urvi Barad (25), Sujata (56), Prem Kumar (63), Kala (60) along with Anil Singh (57) who was the pilot of the chopper.
The team of SDRF along with NDRF immediately went to the place of the crash but found all seven people on board dead on the spot. Their bodies were brought back to the Kedarnath helipad. A senior police officer who is investigating the matter said, “After taking off from Kedarnath, the pilot had contacted the ATC sending a message that he was encountering heavy fog causing low visibility due to which he was returning. After getting permission, he was turning back amid dense fog when the chopper plunged into the hill.”
After hearing about the helicopter crash many people offered their condolences for the loss of lives including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who tweeted, “Anguished by the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families.” The Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also wrote, “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the tragic crash. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. May god give them the strength to bear this loss.”
According to the sources, Anil Singh, the pilot of the chopper had a conversation with his wife Anandita a day before the crash and asked her to ‘ Take care of his daughter, as she is not well’. Anandita said she and her daughter will be leaving for New Delhi to perform the last rites of her husband.
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