A helicopter being airlifted from Kedarnath to Gauchar in Uttarakhand by an Indian Air Force MI-17 chopper crashed this morning, according to officials. The private helicopter went down near the Mandakini River in Lincholi, but fortunately, there were no injuries reported. The incident was captured on video.
The helicopter was being transported to the Gauchar airstrip for repairs with the help of the MI-17 aircraft. However, the MI-17 began to lose balance due to the combined weight of the helicopter and strong winds, leading the pilot to drop the helicopter in a vacant area near Tharu camp, as explained by Rahul Chaubey, the tourism officer for Rudraprayag district.
Chaubey noted that there were no passengers or cargo on the helicopter at the time. A rescue team was quickly dispatched to the crash site.
This helicopter had previously made an emergency landing near the Kedarnath helipad in May due to technical issues and had been used to transport passengers to the Kedarnath temple.
Since July 31, the number of pilgrims visiting Kedarnath has significantly decreased due to severe damage from heavy rains along the trek route. Rain-induced landslides from Gaurikund to Kedarnath had stranded thousands, prompting a large-scale rescue operation using the Air Force’s Chinook and MI-17 helicopters, along with private helicopters.
Although the trek route was largely suspended in August, pilgrims continued to arrive at the temple by helicopter.
The Chardham Yatra began on May 10 with the opening of the Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri temples, followed by the Badrinath temple on May 12. To date, more than 3.3 million pilgrims have visited the Himalayan temples.
