DEHRADUN: A private helicopter en route to the Gangotri shrine crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on Thursday, leaving six tourists dead and the pilot critically injured.According to information received from SDRF sources, the helicopter, operated by AeroTrans Services Private Limited (VT-OXF) and piloted by Captain Robin Singh, had taken off from the Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun at 8:50 am on Thursday morning with six passengers.The helicopter was scheduled to land at the Kharsali helipad, located approximately six kilometres from Gangotri Dham, when the crash occurred unexpectedly near the Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway.The deceased have been identified as Kala Soni, 61, Vijaya Reddy, 57, and Ruchi Aggarwal, 56, all from Mumbai; Radha Aggarwal, 79, from Uttar Pradesh; Vedavati Kumari, 48, from Andhra Pradesh; and the pilot, Robin Singh, from Gujarat. The injured person has been identified as Bhaskar from Andhra Pradesh.SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi told TNIE, “Uttarkashi Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are engaged in relief and rescue work at the spot. The investigation into the causes of the accident is ongoing.”Upon reaching the crash site, the SDRF team from Bhatwadi observed that the helicopter had fallen into a deep gorge, approximately 200 to 250 metres deep. The team has established a base at the scene and commenced rescue operations to descend into the gorge.Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey confirmed that the rescue operation was underway, with administration and relief teams present at the site.Expressing grief over the helicopter crash, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered an investigation into the incident.SDRF and district administration teams were dispatched immediately to the crash site for relief and rescue operations.Notably, this incident follows a recent emergency landing in the region. On 5 May, a helicopter carrying pilgrims from Badrinath to Dehradun had to make an emergency landing at the Gopeshwar sports ground due to inclement weather in the Badrinath Dham area.The crash also occurred on a day when the Meteorological Department had issued a weather warning for Uttarakhand. Light to moderate rain, accompanied by lightning and strong winds, was forecast for Thursday in districts including Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, and Champawat.
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