Uttarakhand Chopper Crash: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin Condoles Loss Of Three Persons From Chennai

The chopper –a Bell 407–operated by private company burst into flames around 11.45 am on Tuesday at Dev Darshini in Rudraprayag's Garud Chatti.

TN CM Stalin (File Photo)

Chennai: Three pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, including two women, were among those who perished in the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand, the state government said on Wednesday.

Seven pilgrims died after the helicopter ferrying them from Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi crashed into a hill near Kedarnath Dham due to poor visibility on Tuesday.

Expressing deep condolences to the bereaved families, Chief Minister M K Stalin in a statement said the government was coordinating with the Uttarakhand government to bring back the bodies of the deceased to Chennai.

உத்தரகாண்ட் மாநிலம் கேதார்நாத் ஹெலிகாப்டர் விபத்தில் உயிரிழந்தவர்களின் குடும்பத்தினருக்கு மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் @mkstalin அவர்கள் ஆறுதல் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். pic.twitter.com/FNovrSgeKq

— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) October 18, 2022

The chopper –a Bell 407–operated by private company burst into flames around 11.45 am on Tuesday at Dev Darshini in Rudraprayag's Garud Chatti.

The crash is said to have taken place within seconds of taking off from the Kedarnath helipad.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, disaster response forces of Uttarakhand and Delhi, and police brought the bodies to the helipad.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia condoled the deaths of the six pilgrims and the helicopter pilot.

Teams of Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and aviation regulator DGCA will probe the crash, a senior official said.

Aryan Aviation and four other operators flying on the Kedarnath Yatra route were recently fined Rs 5 lakh by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for certain violations, an official said.

Manohar Singh, a security man deployed at Kedarnath helipad, said the helicopter crashed into the hill two kilometres away just seconds after takeoff.

"Nothing was visible immediately due to the thick blanket of fog enveloping the area but everyone ran in the direction of the huge sound of the crash," he said.

As the fog thinned, the helicopter was seen in flames and its pieces scattered all over the slopes of Garud Chatti, Singh said.

The Rudraprayag disaster management office identified the dead pilgrims as Poorva Ramanuj (26), Kriti Brar (30) and Urvi Brar (25) from Gujarat, and Sujata (56), Prem Kumar and Kala (60) from Tamil Nadu. Pilot Anil Singh (57) hailed from Maharashtra, it said.