Five tourists lost their lives and two others were injured when a helicopter crashed near Gangnani in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on Thursday morning.
The privately operated helicopter was en route from Dehradun’s Sahastradhara to Harshil when it went down around 9 a.m., plunging into a 200–250 metre-deep gorge near Gangnani.
Seven people were onboard: passengers Vinit Gupta, Arvind Agarwal, Vipin Agarwal, Pinki Agarwal, Rashmi and Kishore Jadhav, and pilot Robin Singh. Four of the passengers were from Mumbai, while two were from Andhra Pradesh.
Local residents, along with teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Quick Response Teams (QRTs), and 108 ambulance services, rushed to the crash site. Two police teams, led by officers Naveen Kumar from Bhatwadi and Pushar Jeena from Ujeli, also reached the spot to assist with rescue operations.
SDRF teams located the wreckage and began rescue efforts. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and extended condolences to the bereaved families. In a post on X, he wrote:
“Got the news of some casualties in a helicopter crash near Gangnani in Uttarkashi. SDRF and district administration teams have immediately reached the spot for relief and rescue work. May God grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families. I have instructed the administration to provide all possible help to the injured and to probe the accident. I am constantly monitoring the situation.”
(With IANS inputs)