India: Helicopter crashes in Kedarnath during airlift

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India: Helicopter crashes in Kedarnath during airlift
A helicopter being airlifted from Kedarnath to Gauchar in Uttarakhand by an Indian Air Force MI-17 chopper crashed this morning, officials reported. The private helicopter went down near the Mandakini River in Lincholi, but fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, which was captured on video.

The helicopter was en route to the Gauchar airstrip for repairs with the assistance of the MI-17 aircraft. However, the MI-17 began to lose balance due to the weight of the helicopter and strong winds, prompting the pilot to drop the helicopter in a vacant area near Tharu camp, according to Rahul Chaubey, the tourism officer for Rudraprayag district.

"There were no passengers or luggage on board the helicopter," Chaubey stated, adding that a rescue team was dispatched to the crash site immediately after the incident.

The same helicopter had previously made an emergency landing near the Kedarnath helipad in May due to technical issues. It had been used to transport passengers to Kedarnath temple.

Since July 31, there has been a significant decrease in the number of pilgrims visiting Kedarnath due to severe damage caused by heavy rains along the trek route to the temple. Rain-induced landslides on the route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath stranded thousands, leading the administration to initiate a large-scale rescue operation using the Air Force's Chinook and MI-17 helicopters, as well as private helicopters.

Although the trek route was largely suspended in August, pilgrims continued to arrive at the temple via helicopter.

The Chardham Yatra began this year on May 10 with the opening of the Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri temples, followed by the Badrinath temple on May 12. So far, more than 3.3 million pilgrims have visited the Himalayan temples.

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