CHAMOLI, October 30 : A helicopter carrying six people, including a pilot and five passengers, crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday afternoon, triggering a rescue operation by multiple agencies.
According to disaster management officials, the helicopter belonged to private aviation company Trans Bharat Aviation and was returning from Badrinath towards Dehradun when it crashed around 2:20 pm near Chai village.
The aircraft reportedly struck a hillside near the JP Power House in the Joshimath area. However, officials have not yet confirmed whether it was returning after completing a flight to the Badrinath shrine.
Teams from the district administration, police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were rushed to the location to carry out rescue and relief operations.
The status of the six people on board and details of any casualties were not immediately available.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was closely monitoring the situation and that a joint rescue operation was underway.
In a post on X, Dhami said he had directed officials to ensure that anyone critically injured was immediately airlifted to a higher medical facility for specialised treatment.
He also expressed concern for the safety of those on board and prayed for their well-being.
