Uttarakhand, Kedarnath helicopter crash: How many incidents have been reported since May 2?

Seven people died after a helicopter crashed near Gaurikund in Uttarakhand on Sunday, June 15. The chopper was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi. Inspector General Garhwal Rajiv Swaroop said the incident happened when the helicopter, operated by Aryan Aviation Guptkashi, had taken off for Gaurikund after taking devotees to Kedarnath.

This was the fifth accident since the portals of the Himalayan temple Kedarnath opened on May 2. The other four incidents reported in connection with helicopter operations in Uttarakhand after the Char Dham Yatra 2025 started on April 30 are:

1. Five people lost their lives and several were left injured after a helicopter crashed in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi on May 8. The incident occurred in the border district of Uttarkashi near Ganganani. It involved a helicopter carrying six passengers and its captain.

2. On May 12, a helicopter’s blade struck a vehicle at the Badrinath helipad. According to News 18, a potential accident was avoided at the Badrinath helipad. Attempting to land back on the helipad, the chopper’s blade reportedly struck a nearby parked vehicle, causing panic. 

3. On May 17, an AIIMS Rishikesh Sanjeevani’ heli ambulance “crash-landed” in Kedarnath after the rear part of the helicopter was damaged, news agency PTI reported. All three passengers on board – a doctor, a pilot, and a medical staff member escaped unharmed.

Before landing on the main helipad of Kedarnath, the heli ambulance had reportedly developed some technical fault. “The heli ambulance operated by AIIMS, Rishikesh had gone to Kedarnath to rescue a pilgrim [Shree Devi] suffering from respiratory distress when its tail rotor broke, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing,” District Tourism Development Officer Rahul Chaubey was quoted by ANI as saying.

4. A helicopter on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on June 7 after developing a technical snag during take-off, officials told PTI.

Six people on board the helicopter, including the pilot, had a narrow escape. The pilot sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.

According to officials, the Kestrel Aviation helicopter had taken off from Badasu base for Kedarnath when it made the emergency landing on the highway near Sirsi following a technical snag during take-off.