By Our Staff Reporter
Uttarkashi, 8 May: A private helicopter en route to the Gangotri shrine crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district this morning, killing six people, including the pilot, and leaving one critically injured. The incident occurred on the Gangotri National Highway at around 8:45 a.m., shortly after the helicopter, belonging to AeroTrans Services Private Limited (registration VT-OXF), took off from the Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun and was headed to the Kharsali helipad, about six kilometres from Gangotri Dham. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed shock over the incident.
As soon as the information about the accident was received, police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire, medical, and other disaster relief teams rushed to the site and launched rescue operations. The helicopter had plunged into a gorge, approximately 200 to 250 metres deep. The rescue teams established a base at the scene and began descending into the gorge to carry out rescue work.
On board the helicopter were seven people – six passengers and the pilot, Captain Robin Singh, 60, from Gujarat. The deceased passengers have been identified as Kala Chandrakant Soni, 61, Vijaya Reddy, 57, and Ruchi Agarwal, 56, all from Mumbai; Radha Agarwal, 79, from Uttar Pradesh; and Vedvati Kumari, 48, from Andhra Pradesh. The injured passenger, Mastu Bhaskar, 51, from Andhra Pradesh, has been airlifted to AIIMS, Rishikesh, in critical condition.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep grief over the accident. He posted on his social media accounts that extremely distressing news has been received about the loss of some lives in a helicopter crash near Gangnani in Uttarkashi. He added that he prays that the departed souls get eternal peace and that the bereaved families get strength to bear this immense sorrow. He further instructed the administration to provide all possible assistance to the injured and conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, adding that he is in constant touch with officials and monitoring the situation closely.
The officials confirmed that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the crash. The AAIB, under the Civil Aviation Ministry, is responsible for classifying safety occurrences involving aircraft operating in Indian airspace into accidents and serious incidents.
It may also be recalled that just days before this tragedy, on 5 May, another helicopter carrying pilgrims from Badrinath to Dehradun had to make an emergency landing at the Gopeshwar playground due to bad weather in the Badrinath Dham area. After waiting for about five minutes on the playground, the helicopter resumed its journey to Dehradun once the weather improved.
The crash occurred on a day when the Meteorological Department had issued a weather warning for Uttarakhand, forecasting light to moderate rain, lightning, and strong winds in districts including Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, and Champawat. The authorities are investigating whether adverse weather played a role in the accident or there is some other technical reason behind the crash.
Rescue Operation monitored from SEOC: Vinod Kumar Suman
By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 8 May: A helicopter crash near Ganganani in Uttarkashi prompted swift action by the authorities, with Secretary Disaster Management Vinod Kumar Suman leading the response efforts. Acting on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Suman arrived at the Control Room of State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) along with officials from the Disaster Management Department to oversee rescue operations. From here, Suman contacted District Magistrate, Uttarkashi, Meherban Singh Bisht for updates and monitored the situation closely through the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), which remained in direct communication with the ground teams.
Suman shared that the accident occurred this morning at 8:30 a.m. when a helicopter belonging to Aerotrans Company crashed near Ganganani. Upon receiving the information, key officials, including Additional Chief Executive Officer Administration Anand Swaroop, Additional Chief Executive Officer Implementation, DIG Raj Kumar Negi, Joint Chief Executive Officer Mohd Obaidullah Ansari, Disaster Management Nodal Officer of Health Department Dr Bimalesh Joshi, SEOC Incharge Rohit Kumar, and other experts from USDMA, convened at the control room to coordinate the relief efforts.
Geo-coordinates of the crash site were promptly obtained to ensure seamless air support for rescue and relief operations. Suman confirmed that six people lost their lives in the accident, while one injured passenger was airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh via heli ambulance for urgent medical attention. The postmortem of the deceased is being conducted at the Uttarkashi District Headquarters. Among the medical personnel present during the operation were Dr Vedika Pant, Dr Pooja Rana, Manish Bhagat, Hemant Bisht, and Tandrila Sarkar.
