The Voice News: In a tragic incident early this morning, an Aryan Aviation helicopter carrying seven people crashed between Gaurikund and Sonprayag in Uttarakhand, killing all on board. The chopper, en route from Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, went down around 5:20 AM amid deteriorating weather conditions.According to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the victims included six pilgrims — five adults and a 23-month-old child — along with the pilot. All were charred to death in the crash.Officials said the pilot attempted to steer the helicopter away from the valley as weather worsened during the return flight, but it ultimately crashed in a forested area near Gaurikund. Locals collecting fodder witnessed the crash and alerted authorities. Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached Gaurikund by 7:00 AM and began trekking to the crash site. Recovery operations started by 8:55 AM, and all bodies have been retrieved.Because the remains were severely burned, DNA tests will be conducted to identify the victims before the bodies are returned to their families, Inspector General Rajiv Swaroop confirmed.Among the deceased were three members of the Jaiswal family from Yavatmal, Maharashtra: Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal, Shraddha Jaiswal, and their infant daughter, Kashi. Their son Vivaan survived as he had stayed behind with his grandfather. Another victim, Vikram Rawat, was an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) from Ukhimath, Uttarakhand. The remaining two victims were identified as Vinod Devi (66) and Trishti Singh (19), both from Uttar Pradesh. The pilot, Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan (39), was a resident of Jaipur.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy on X (formerly Twitter), noting that SDRF and local authorities were actively involved in the rescue mission. He has called for the urgent implementation of a strict Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for helicopter operations in the state, emphasizing mandatory technical checks and accurate weather assessments before takeoff.The Chief Secretary has been directed to form a committee of technical experts to draft the new SOP. Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will conduct a detailed investigation into the crash.This marks the fifth helicopter-related incident since the Kedarnath shrine reopened on May 2, bringing the total death toll to 13. Notably, on June 7, another helicopter en route to Kedarnath was forced to make an emergency landing on a highway due to technical failure, narrowly avoiding a major disaster.
