Seven Killed in Kedarnath-Guptkashi Helicopter Crash; Fifth Incident in 40 Days on Char Dham Route

Kedarnath, 15 June, 2025 : A helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation crashed near Gaurikund in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district early Sunday morning, killing all seven people on board. The chopper had taken off from the Kedarnath helipad around 5:20 am and lost contact with authorities shortly after.

The victims have been identified as Captain Rajveer Singh Chauhan, Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41), Shradha Rajkumar Jaiswal (35), and their 23-month-old child Kashi, all from Maharashtra; Vikram (46), a local from Rudraprayag; and Vinod Dev (66) along with Tusti Singh (29), both residents of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh.

Inspector Anirudh Bhandari of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) confirmed that all seven occupants — six passengers and the pilot — died in the crash.

District tourism officer and chopper service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey stated that the helicopter encountered sudden adverse weather conditions while returning from Kedarnath Dham to its base in Guptkashi. “The pilot attempted to steer the aircraft out of the valley, but it crashed during the effort,” he said.

The wreckage was located near Gaurikund after local residents reported seeing smoke in the area.

This is the fifth helicopter incident reported on the Char Dham route in under 40 days. Just over a week ago, on 7 June, a chopper carrying five pilgrims made a crash landing on the Guptkashi-Gaurikund highway near Barasu in Rudraprayag. While that incident resulted in no fatalities, the pilot sustained minor injuries.

Reacting to Sunday’s tragedy, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow. “Very sad news has been received about a helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district. SDRF, local administration and other rescue teams are engaged in relief operations. I pray to Baba Kedar for the safety of all the travellers,” he said.

The crash follows closely on the heels of a separate aviation disaster in Ahmedabad, where 270 people were killed after an Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after take-off on Thursday. Among the victims were nearly all 242 people on board and 29 others on the ground, including five medical students.

Source: The Hindustan Times