Rudraprayag: Debris of a helicopter that crashed near the Kedarnath shrine, in Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, Sunday, June 15, 2025. At least seven people were killed in the incident. (PTI Photo)(PTI06_15_2025_000041A)

KATHMANDU, June 15: A 23-month-old infant was among the seven pilgrims killed in a chopper crash in Uttarakhand's Gaurikund following their visit to the Kedarnath shrine. The Aryan Aviation chopper took off from the Kedarnath helipad around 5 am and went “missing” after authorities lost contact with it, according to a Hindustan Times report.
Rahul Chaubey, the district tourism officer, told HT that there were seven people on board the helicopter, including the pilot. The officer attributed the crash to bad weather.
"There were seven people on board, including the pilot, five passengers and an infant,” he told HT.
“The chopper was returning from Kedarnath Dham to its base in Guptkashi when it encountered sudden adverse weather conditions in the valley. The pilot attempted to navigate the helicopter out of the valley; however, the aircraft crashed during the effort,” he added.
The chopper caught fire after impact.
This was the fifth chopper crash on the Char Dham route in less than 40 days.
On June 7, a helicopter with five pilgrims made a crash landing on the Guptkashi–Gaurikund highway in Rudraprayag.
On May 8, a helicopter going to Gangotri Dham crashed in Uttarkashi district, killing six occupants.
People's Review News Monitoring Services