Helicopter Crash
Tragedy near Badrinath: Helicopter crashes in Uttarakhand, 6 killed
All five passengers and the pilot aboard a helicopter that crashed in Uttarakhand on Friday have died, media reports said.
The helicopter was travelling from the temple town of Badrinath when it crashed in Chamoli district.
A search and rescue operation was launched after reports of the crash emerged around 2.20 pm, more than an hour after the helicopter went missing, India Today reported.
The bodies of all six deceased have been recovered.
The five passengers, identified by media reports as Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K and HS Natraja, were residents of Karnataka.
The pilot, Himanshu, who was operating the helicopter owned by private operator Trans Bharat Aviation, hailed from Delhi, India Today reported.
The cause of the crash remains unknown.
The region had been witnessing intense rainfall over the past several days.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed concern over the incident in a post on X.
चाई गांव, जोशीमठ के निकट हेलीकॉप्टर क्रैश होने की दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण सूचना प्राप्त हुई है। जिला प्रशासन, आपदा प्रबंधन विभाग, एसडीआरएफ द्वारा संयुक्त रूप से रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन चलाया जा रहा है। स्वयं भी पूरे घटनाक्रम की निरंतर निगरानी कर रहा हूं। गंभीर रूप से घायलों को तत्काल एयरलिफ्ट कर बेहतर उपचार हेतु हायर सेंटर पहुंचाने के निर्देश दिए हैं। ईश्वर से यात्रियों के सकुशल होने की कामना करता हूं।
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) October 30, 2026
"We have received the unfortunate news of a helicopter crash near Chayee village, close to Joshimath. A joint rescue operation is being conducted by the district administration, disaster management department, and SDRF," he wrote.
"I myself am continuously monitoring the entire incident. Instructions have been given to immediately airlift the seriously injured to higher centres for better treatment," he added.
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