Chopper being airlifted for repair by MI-17 helicopter crashes in Rudraprayag
The helicopter, which belonged to Kestrel Aviation, was carrying six pilgrims when it made an emergency landing due to a technical snag near the helipad in Kedarnath shrine on May 24
Dehradun: A chopper, which was being airlifted by an MI-17 helicopter to Gauchar in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli for repair after it made an emergency landing at the Kedarnath Dham in May, crashed after it lost balance and slipped in Rudraprayag on Saturday morning.
Rudraprayag district tourism development officer Rahul Chaubey said the chopper was being airlifted to Gauchar airstrip for repair by the air force MI-17 choppen when it crashed near Tharu Camp.
“The plan was to take the chopper to Gauchar airstrip on Saturday for repair by hanging from the Air Force’s MI-17 helicopter at around 7am. As it covered some distance, the MI-17 lost balance due to the weight of the damaged helicopter and wind. The chopper had to be dropped from MI-17 when it reached near Tharu camp. No passenger or luggage was being carried in the helicopter,” Chaubey said.
The rescue teams have already reached the spot where the helicopter has fallen, he added. Chaubey said he had appealed to all the people not to spread rumours about anyone being injured in the crash.
The helicopter, which belonged to Kestrel Aviation, was carrying six pilgrims when it made an emergency landing due to a technical snag near the helipad in Kedarnath shrine on May 24.
During the Char Dham yatra, choppers make a daily average of 400 sorties in the Kedarnath area.
In April 2023, a senior official of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) was killed after being hit by the tail rotor of a helicopter in Kedarnath.
In October 2022, a chopper crashed in Kedarnath, killing all six devotees and a pilot on board.