Bodies of Six Victims Recovered from Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash
Six bodies recovered from a helicopter crash near Joshimath, Uttarakhand, with investigations underway by authorities.
Chamoli, November 1 (Daily Kiran) : Authorities have successfully recovered the bodies of all six individuals who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash near Joshimath in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. The police confirmed on Sunday that the remains have been transported to the nearest road access point.
A collaborative rescue operation involved teams from the Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), local police, district administration, and the forest department. The operation was particularly challenging due to the remote and high-altitude terrain.
Rescue teams trekked through difficult mountainous paths to retrieve the six bodies. Once recovered, the bodies were taken to the Community Health Center in Joshimath. After completing the necessary formalities, the bodies were airlifted from the NTPC helipad to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh.
The helicopter, which was en route from Badrinath to Sahastradhara, crashed near the village of Chai on October 30. The victims included five passengers and the pilot, Captain Himanshu Sabharwal. All passengers hailed from Karnataka, including Inspector Arun Salunke from Bengaluru Police’s Central Crime Branch, businessman H.S. Nataraj from Tumakuru, businessman Pratap Bachihalli Ningraju from Bengaluru, and lawyers Sudhir K. and Shankar Goudar V.B.
The helicopter was operated by Trans Bharat Aviation Private Limited. Following the incident, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced that a team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been dispatched to Dehradun for preliminary investigations.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a thorough inquiry into the tragic accident. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar stated that arrangements have been made to repatriate the bodies of the deceased.
