Dehradun,
Seven people, including three from Chennai, died in a helicopter crash while returning from Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. The President and the Prime Minister have expressed their condolences.
The helicopter exploded
Kedarnath in the state of Uttarakhand is the most famous holy place. Aryan Aviation, a private company, operates a helicopter service between Kedarnath and Guptakasi.
Affluent devotees use the helicopter service to go to the temple and return.
Similarly, 6 devotees who completed Sami darshan at Kedarnath temple yesterday morning, left for Guptakasi in that helicopter. On the way, the chopper suddenly exploded when it reached the Garut Chatti hills of Rudraprayag district. The accident happened at 11.45 am.
7 people died
In this tragic accident, 6 devotees and the pilot were killed in the helicopter. The accident seems to have happened due to bad weather and no visibility on the opposite side.
National Disaster Response Force, Uttarakhand and Delhi State Disaster Response Force acted quickly. They brought the bodies of 7 people to the Kedarnath helipad.
People from Chennai
The bodies of 7 victims were identified. It has come to know that 3 of them are from Annanagar, Chennai. Their names have been identified as Premkumar, Kala (age 60) and Sujatha (56), Uttarakhand state police said.
Purva Ramanuj (26), Kriti Brar (30) and Urvi Brar (25) from Gujarat were also among those from Paliyanore. The deceased pilot has been identified as Anilsingh (57). Belongs to the state of Maratha.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that he is closely monitoring the situation in touch with the state government.
condolence
Meanwhile, the President and the Prime Minister have expressed their condolences to the families of the victims. In the condolence message released by President Drabupati Murmu, “It is very sad that some devotees including the pilot died in a helicopter crash near Kedarnath Dham. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” he said.
In his condolence message released by Prime Minister Modi, he said, “I am saddened to know about the Uttarakhand helicopter crash. “My memories will be around the families of the victims,” he said. Jyotiraditya Scindia and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Thami also expressed condolences.
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