Kedarnath Helicopter Crash News: A helicopter travelling from Dehradun to Kedarnath with six people on board crashed near Gaurikund Sunday morning, the police said.

“The helicopter that went missing in Gaurikund has crashed. There were six people on board and more details are awaited,” Uttarakhand ADG Law and Order Dr V Murugeshan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Very sad news has been received about a helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district. SDRF, local administration and other rescue teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations. I pray to Baba Kedar for the safety of all the travellers.”

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Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, too, put out a statement regarding the crash. “Today, at around 5:20 am, a helicopter, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, has been reported to have crashed near Gaurikund. There were six passengers, including the pilot (5 adults and 1 child). The passengers in the helicopter are from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.”

It added: “In view of relief and rescue, NDRF and SDRF teams have been dispatched to the site of the incident.”

He had earlier informed that the chopper had gone missing between Trijuginarayan and Gaurikund.

In May this year, six people had died and one was injured when a helicopter going to Gangotri Dham from Dehradun crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi. The helicopter was going to the Gangotri Dham of the Char Dham Yatra circuit.

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Last week, another helicopter carrying five passengers to Kedarnath had to make a quick landing on a highway in Uttarakhand. The chopper hit a technical snag during take-off, prompting the precautionary landing on the road. A parked vehicle on the highway was damaged.