Six killed as pilgrim helicopter crashes after leaving Badrinath
Five passengers and a pilot died when a helicopter lost contact over the Joshimath valley in India's Uttarakhand state on Friday.
Six people were killed on Friday when a helicopter carrying five passengers and a pilot crashed in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, shortly after leaving the Hindu pilgrimage town of Badrinath, the BBC, CNA and The Straits Times reported.
The Straits Times, citing news agency ANI, said the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) confirmed all six on board had died. ANI quoted the authority's chief executive, Prateek Jain. CNA's earlier report said the six were feared dead, citing Indian television channels. The BBC described the five passengers as pilgrims, and NDTV reported that a police officer from Karnataka was among the six on board.
The helicopter was flying from Badrinath to Dehradun, according to UCADA. NDTV reported it took off at about 1.14pm amid snowfall. "The helicopter lost communication while it was flying over Joshimath valley. At the same time, the tracking system could no longer track the helicopter," the authority said in a statement quoted by The Straits Times.
UCADA said the entire fleet of the operator, Trans Bharat Aviation, had been grounded "as a precautionary measure". The operator did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, The Straits Times reported.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the aircraft came down near a village close to Joshimath in Chamoli district. In a post on X, he said the district administration, disaster management teams and troops were carrying out a joint rescue operation. Television channels reported that fire and smoke were visible at the crash site.
The cause is not yet known. CNA said bad weather was suspected, and the BBC said there had been reports of heavy rain and poor visibility. India's weather department had issued an orange alert for the area before the crash, warning of thunderstorms, hail and strong winds, the BBC reported.
Badrinath is one of four shrines on the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit, along with Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The BBC said helicopter services have become popular with pilgrims avoiding difficult mountain journeys but have faced scrutiny after a series of accidents. Seven people died in a crash near Kedarnath in June 2025, and another seven were killed on the same route in October 2022.
Several other helicopter accidents during the 2025 pilgrimage season led aviation authorities to tighten safety checks and restrict some operations, according to the BBC.
Sources: BBC News, Six dead after helicopter crashes in northern Indian state; CNA, Six feared dead in helicopter crash in Indian Himalayan state; The Straits Times, Six killed in helicopter crash in Indian Himalayan state, ANI says; NDTV, Uttarakhand Joshimath Helicopter Crash Highlights: Karnataka Cop Among 6 On Helicopter That Crashed In Uttarakhand.
