Kedarnath(U'khand): A helicopter carrying seven persons including a pilot crashed in a blanket of fog near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand on Tuesday, state official said confirming all dead.
The Prime Minister's Office tweeted, Anguished by the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families: PM @narendramodiSeven people onboard the helicopter have died, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority CEO C Ravi Shankar told the media at a press conference.
The incident took place around 11.40 am, Shankar said.
"The chopper took off from Kedarnath and was heading towards Guptkashi. The cause of the accident will be known after a proper investigation," he added.According to an official spokesperson, the helicopter crashed in Rudraprayag in Kedarnath-Garudchatti district. Rescuers immediately got into the act.
The crash took place between Lincholi and Garudchatti on the Kedarnath Yatra route.
The helicopter belonged to Aryan Company in which seven people were on board. The crashed reportedly took place after the helicopter collided with a hill due to poor visibility.
The details of the occupants was shared by Uttarakhand government spokesperson Lalita Das Negi. They were Prba Ramanuj, Kriti Brar, Urvi, Sujata, Prem Kumar, Kala and pilot Captain Anil Singh.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted: "The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate."We are in touch with the state government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss, and are constantly monitoring the situation.""(UNI)