A devastating helicopter crash en route to Kedarnath claimed the lives of all seven people onboard, including a 23-month-old infant. In response, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a high-level virtual meeting with top officials to assess the incident and ensure stricter safety measures are implemented.
Present in the meeting were Chief Secretary, Secretary of Disaster Management, CEO of UCADA, Garhwal Commissioner, and other senior authorities. The Chief Minister reviewed current aviation safety standards and instructed officials to re-evaluate all security protocols related to helicopter operations in the Kedarnath region. As a precautionary measure, helicopter services to and from Kedarnath have been suspended for two days.
The ill-fated helicopter belonged to Aryan Aviation and crashed on the Kedarnath route under unknown circumstances. All seven occupants, including the pilot, lost their lives in the incident. The deceased have been identified as:
- Vikram Singh Rawat (46) – Resident of Ransi village, Ukhimath tehsil, Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand
- Vinod Devi (66) – Resident of House No. 429, Civil Line 2, Bijnor Ram Bagh Colony, Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh
- Tushti Singh (19) – Resident of the same address in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh
- Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41) – Resident of Vani Nandepeda Road, Sai Mandir, Maharashtra
- Sharda Rajkumar Jaiswal (35) – Resident of the same address in Maharashtra
- Kashi (23-month-old girl) – Resident of Vani Nandepeda Road, Sai Mandir, Maharashtra
- Captain Rajeev – Pilot from Rajasthan, affiliated with Aryan Aviation
The crash has sent shockwaves across the region and raised serious questions about aerial safety in the high-altitude pilgrimage route. Investigations are currently underway to determine the exact cause of the accident.
