In brief
A helicopter departed from the Hindu pilgrimage town of Badrinath on Friday and crashed near Chayee village, close to Joshimath, killing all six aboard. Rescue operations have been launched by local authorities and a state disaster response force, amid reports of smoke rising from the crash zone.
A helicopter carrying five Hindu pilgrims and a pilot crashed near Chayee village close to Joshimath in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India, on Friday, according to Xinhua.
The helicopter, which had taken off from the pilgrimage town of Badrinath at around 1:14 p.m. local time, reportedly lost contact near the Hathi Parvat area amid snowfall and vanished from radar.
All six people aboard are feared dead, investigators confirmed. The crash site, situated roughly 290 kilometers northeast of the state capital Dehradun, showed smoke rising in the hours after the incident, according to local officials.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami posted a statement on social media urging calm while a joint rescue operation is underway, involving the district administration, the disaster management department and the State Disaster Response Force.
In response to the missing aircraft, authorities deployed another helicopter to conduct an aerial search around the affected area.
Local rescue teams have been dispatched to the slopes near the village, and the hill stations around the area have been advised to remain closed to non-essential traffic to aid search efforts.
Xinhua reported that the helicopter’s flight plan had been routine for pilgrims traveling to the sacred sites, but the sudden snowfall coincided with the loss of contact.
While the incident is fresh, the region has seen previous fatal incidents involving pilgrims. BBC reports that in June 2025, a helicopter carrying pilgrims crashed near Kedarnath, killing seven people, and another similar crash on the same pilgrimage route also claimed seven lives.
These earlier incidents underline the challenges of operating in Uttarakhand’s high‑altitude and snow‑prone terrain.
Officials have not yet released maintenance records on the helicopter, but investigators are probing whether weather or mechanical issues contributed to the crash.
The State Disaster Response Force has reaffirmed that all search and rescue equipment, including drones, are being deployed to locate survivors, although the harsh weather conditions continue to hamper progress.
Some local residents near the site have taken to social media to share videos of the smoke and the search helicopters, but official updates remain cautiously measured, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
As the rescue operation continues, the Uttarakhand government remains in communication with national agencies to ensure a coordinated response to the tragedy.
