A helicopter transporting Hindus pilgrims fell early on Sunday, 15, in the state of Uttarakhand, northern India, killing seven people on board, local authorities said. The helicopter was on his way to Guptkashi, an important place of Hindu pilgrimage in the Himalayan, coming from Kedarnath Temple City when he fell.
According to local authorities, the accident occurred a few minutes after takeoff, on a flight that should last 10 minutes. It happens three days after an Air India flight falls from the sky and kills at least 270 people in the state of Gujarat, western India.
On Thursday, 12, the Boeing 787 to London reached a medical college hostel in a residential area of northwest ahmedabad minutes after takeoff, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on land. A passenger survived.
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Nandan Singh Rajwar, a local disaster management official, said authorities have started a rescue operation and search after the helicopter accident and should review operational protocols for flights in the region.
The helicopter, operated by Aryan Aviation, a private air taxi service company, fell into a forest area near Kedarnath’s pilgrimage route around 5:30 am local time. The accident is believed to have been caused by adverse weather conditions.
Kedarnath houses one of the four most sacred Hindu temples shrines and receives tens of thousands of pilgrims each year during the summer season, many of which use helicopter services due to the difficult mountain terrain.
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On June 7, a helicopter operating in the Kedarnath Valley made an emergency landing on a highway due to a technical failure soon after taking off. The pilot was injured, but all five passengers on board came out unharmed.
On May 8, a helicopter fell in the Uttarkashi district, killing six people, including the pilot. One person survived.
