Badrinath-Dehradun helicopter crashes near Joshimath amid bad weather; 6 people were on board

A helicopter carrying five pilgrims from Badrinath Dham to Dehradun crashed near Chayee village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday after losing contact amid deteriorating weather conditions. A joint search and rescue operation was launched following the incident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said.

Dhami said he was closely monitoring the situation, while the district administration, disaster management department and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were coordinating rescue efforts.

Dheeraj Karki, district information officer, Chamoli, said the helicopter was returning from Badrinath with five pilgrims when communication with the aircraft was lost.

Helicopter loses contact over Joshimath valley

According to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the helicopter, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt Ltd and bearing call sign VT-HCX, took off from Badrinath at around 1.14 pm for Sahastradhara in Dehradun.

The aircraft reportedly lost communication while flying over the Joshimath valley. Its tracking system subsequently stopped displaying its location.

Chamoli district disaster management officer Nand Kishore Joshi confirmed the crash near Chayee village in the Marwari area.

“A helicopter returning to Dehradun with pilgrims after darshan at Badrinath Dham has crashed near Chayee village in the Jyotirmath (previously Joshimath area) of Chamoli district. Its contact was lost near the hill close to Chayee village in the Marwari area of Joshimath,” Joshi said.

SDRF team rushes to crash site

Following the incident, an SDRF team from Joshimath was sent to the location to begin search and rescue operations.

“An SDRF team from Joshimath has left for the crash site for search and rescue operation,” Joshi said.

Officials said the helicopter had departed from Badrinath Dham for Dehradun at around 1.12 pm. There were six people on board, including the pilot and five passengers.

Teams from the district administration and other agencies were mobilised soon after the incident was reported. Rescue personnel were also working to reach the crash site, with the mountainous terrain posing a challenge to the operation.

The crash was reported amid adverse weather conditions in the region. Further details about the condition of those on board were awaited.