Chamoli, Nov 1 (IANS) The mortal remains of all six individuals who died in a helicopter crash near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli have been recovered and transported to a road-accessible location, police said on Sunday.
According to the officials, the rescue operation was conducted jointly by the Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, district administration, and the Forest Department, amidst challenging conditions in a remote, high-altitude mountainous region.
The Chamoli Police said that the rescue teams navigated difficult mountain terrain on foot to recover the mortal remains of the six victims.
“They were subsequently transported by road to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Joshimath. Following the completion of necessary formalities, the mortal remains were airlifted from the NTPC helipad to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh,” the officials said.
Five passengers and the pilot were killed after a helicopter, on its way from Badrinath to Sahastradhara, crashed near Chai village, close to Joshimath on October 30.
The pilot of the helicopter, operated by a private aviation company, was identified as Captain Himanshu Sabharwal, while the passengers were Arun Salunke (Central Crime Branch Bengaluru Police Inspector), H.S. Nataraj (Tumakuru businessman), Prathapa Bachihally Ningaraju (Hassan/Bengaluru Civil Contractor/businessman), Sudheer K. (Bengaluru Advocate) and Shankar Gowda V.B. (Tumakuru/Bengaluru Advocate), all residents of Karnataka.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Friday that a team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been dispatched to Dehradun to conduct the preliminary/regulatory assessment into the tragic helicopter crash.
The helicopter was being operated by Transbharat Aviation Pvt Ltd bearing registration VT-HCX (type AS350B3).
Additionally, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a probe into the tragic helicopter crash.
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Saturday that all arrangements had been made to bring back the bodies of those who died in the air crash.
He noted that the concerned governments and authorities, including those in Delhi, were attentive to the situation and that he had conveyed all the necessary information to them.
The Chief Minister appealed to the travellers to exercise greater caution during such journeys in the future.
Shivakumar added that he had spoken to local authorities and seers in Uttarakhand regarding the situation.
–IANS
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