A search for survivors is under way after a helicopter carrying six people, five of them pilgrims, crashed in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand on Friday.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the aircraft came down near a village close to Joshimath, in Chamoli district. Rescue teams have been sent into the mountainous area, but the condition of those on board remains unclear, the Daily Mirror reported, carrying a BBC report.
The helicopter is reported to have taken off from the Hindu pilgrimage site of Badrinath on Friday afternoon before losing contact. The cause of the crash is not yet known.
Weather at the time
The crash happened amid heavy rain and poor visibility. India’s weather department had issued an orange alert for the area, warning of thunderstorms, hail and strong winds.
Pilgrim air traffic under scrutiny
Badrinath is one of the four sacred sites on the Char Dham circuit, alongside Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The temples sit in steep Himalayan valleys and open for only part of the year because of harsh winter conditions, and Uttarakhand draws millions of pilgrims annually.
Helicopter services have become increasingly popular among pilgrims seeking to avoid the difficult mountain journey by road, and their safety record has come under scrutiny following a series of accidents.
Not reported
The filing does not name the operator, give the aircraft type, say whether any bodies or survivors have been recovered, or identify the sixth person on board beyond the five described as pilgrims. No Sri Lankan nationals are mentioned in connection with the flight.
Single verified source. The Daily Mirror’s report is credited to the BBC and is a relay rather than independent reporting, so the two are one account in two places. This desk could not fetch the BBC original directly to date it, and has therefore cited only the Daily Mirror.
This is a separate incident from the mid-air collision of two helicopters in Oregon and the Italian military helicopter crash in Bosnia, both also reported on 30 October.
