Kedarnath chopper crash: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami suspends helicopter services for two days

Helicopter services for Kedarnath have been suspended for the next two days after a chopper taking devotees from the pilgrim crashed, claiming seven lives, including that of an infant, on Sunday.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told news agency ANI that the helicopter service would not run for the next two days,

“Helicopter services will not run today or tomorrow. These services will remain closed until the safety of the passengers is ensured,” he said.

The DGCA has also announced that, as a precautionary measure, the frequencies of helicopter operations to Char Dham will be reduced.

Dhami has directed the aviation companies to strictly comply with safety norms issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and warned of strict action against those who will flout those rules.

“An emergency meeting has been called immediately, in which instructions have been given that the rules of our DGCA should not be violated,” he said.

He added that pilots flying in the upper Himalayan areas should have experience in the region and urged aviation companies to ensure this.

The chief minister suggested setting up a control and command centre for the helicopters and said strict action will be taken against the culprits of Sunday's accident.

However, he also mentioned that the crash was due to “bad weather”. “I pray to God for those who lost their lives,” he said.

Kedarnath helicopter crash

On Sunday, June 15, seven people, including the pilot on board a helicopter were killed after the chopper crashed near the forested area of Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district.

The Aryan Aviation Helicopter was flying to Guptkashi from the Kedarnath Dham when it crashed at 5:30 am today.

The deceased are:

• Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan (39)
• Vikram Rawat (47)
• Vinod Devi (66), Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee representative
• Trishti Singh (19)
• Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41)
• Wife Shraddha Jaiswal
• Daughter Kashi Jaiswal (2)

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the crash.