Dehradun: The helicopter crash near Uttarakhand’s Joshimath on Friday that killed all six people on board, brought into focus the multiple aviation disasters that have rocked the state in recent times, citing which former Chief Minister Harish Rawat sought an enquiry into the incidents.
The bodies of all six individuals, including the pilot, have been recovered from the crash site by joint teams of the Uttarakhand Police, the State Disaster Response Force, and the Army, which swung into action for rescue and recovery operations after receiving the news of the accident.
Following Friday’s crash, former CM and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said, “Along with making our helicopter services competitive, we also need to make them safe and secure. An enquiry should be conducted and improvements should be made, based on the probe. This is extremely necessary because one after another, such incidents are taking place, which is alarming.”
A similar disaster was reported from Uttarakhand in 2022 when seven people were killed, including the pilot, after a private helicopter ferrying pilgrims to Kedarnath crashed on a hill in Rudraprayag district on October 18.
Multiple helicopter-related incidents were reported from Uttarakhand just in the month of May in 2025.
On May 8, a helicopter, operated by a private company, crashed in Uttarkashi district while en route from Kharsali (Yamunotri) to Jhala (Gangotri) due to weather-induced hillside collision, resulting in six deaths.
Another major tragedy was averted in the same month after a helicopter’s blades hit a nearby parked vehicle at Badrinath helipad, as the pilot lost control just after the aircraft left the ground. No one was hurt in the incident.
Similarly, on May 17, a ‘Sanjeevani’ heli ambulance operated by AIIMS Rishikesh made an emergency landing in Kedarnath after developing a technical snag, averting a possible disaster. Officials had then said that two doctors and a pilot on board the helicopter were safe.
In another incident, a helicopter en route to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on a highway in Rudraprayag district on June 7, 2025, after developing a technical issue during takeoff from the Sirsi helipad in Uttarakhand.
A portion of the aircraft had crashed into an empty stationary car below, officials said. All six people on board the private aircraft, including the pilot, were reported to be safe.
In the same month last year, seven people, on board a privately operated helicopter, were killed after the aircraft crashed near Gaurikund in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. The victims included a 23-month-old infant.
According to officials, the chopper went down around 5:30 a.m. on June 15, 2025, while ferrying pilgrims from Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand, reportedly due to adverse weather conditions.
On October 30, 2026, a helicopter operated by a private aviation company crashed near Chai village, close to Joshimath in Uttarakhand, claiming six lives, including the pilot.
(IANS)
