Dehradun, Oct 30 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday ordered a probe into the tragic helicopter crash near Chai village, close to Joshimath, which killed all six on board, including the pilot, and assured all possible assistance to the kin of the deceased.
The helicopter was on its way from Badrinath to Sahastradhara and crashed around 2 p.m. on Friday, officials said.
Praying for peace for the departed souls, the Chief Minister also expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and directed officials to provide all possible assistance.
Chief Minister Dhami has directed the concerned authorities to conduct a detailed investigation into the causes of the accident.
He said all aspects of the crash should be examined thoroughly and with utmost seriousness.
The Uttarakhand CM also instructed the district administration to ensure that every possible assistance is extended to the families of the victims and that all necessary relief and support measures are provided promptly.
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.
The operation to transport all the bodies from the difficult-to-access crash site to a location connected by road is underway, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said that the bodies are being taken to Joshimath for post-mortem examination.
“The Karnataka Chief Minister’s Office, Relief Commissioner and Resident Commissioner’s Office at Karnataka Bhavan are coordinating with the Uttarakhand authorities to facilitate the transportation of the mortal remains to Karnataka at the earliest. The state government has assured all possible assistance to the families of the deceased,” an official statement said.
The pilot of the helicopter, was identified as Captain Himanshu Sabharwal, who hailed from Delhi, while the passengers were Pratap, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K., and H.S. Natraja, all from Karnataka, police said.
According to official information, Shankar Gowda was an advocate, while H.S. Nataraj ran a poultry business in Karnataka’s Huliyurdurga. Another victim, Pratap, was a businessman in state’s Hassan district.
There were no women or children on board the helicopter, officials said.
Addressing the media earlier, Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh Panwar said: “One helicopter belonging to ‘Trans Bharat Aviation’ took off from the Badrinath Civil Helipad for the Sahastradhara Helipad at around 1.12 p.m. At around 1.14 p.m., contact with the aircraft was lost near Joshimath.”
“Local personnel stationed in the nearby area reported that the helicopter was seen heading into a valley below while flying at a considerable height,” he added.
–IANS
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