A frame from a helicopter sent after the crash shows part of the wreckage below. Credit: Praveen Singh, as watermarked in the source footage.
Bengaluru | October 30: Six people, including the pilot, died after a helicopter crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand. The Chamoli district administration confirmed all six deaths; the rescue team reached the site and recovered the bodies.
The helicopter, VT-HCX, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, was flying from Badrinath to Sahastradhara in Dehradun. UCADA’s press note said it took off at about 1:14 pm and lost communication and tracking over Joshimath Valley.
UCADA’s press note identified the pilot as Capt. Himanshu and listed the five passengers as Prathapa, Arun Salunkhe, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K and H.S. Natraja.
Arun Salunkhe, a CCB police inspector in Bengaluru from Belagavi district, was among the passengers.
Teams from the Indian Army, Chamoli district administration and the State Disaster Response Force were mobilised for search and rescue after the helicopter was reported missing. UCADA also said Trans Bharat Aviation grounded its entire helicopter fleet as a precaution.
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