Six people lost their lives after a helicopter crashed in the state of Uttarakhand, northern India, in a mountainous area of the Himalayas.
There were five Hindu pilgrims and the pilot on board, and the helicopter was flying from the holy city of Badrineth to Dehradun.
The aircraft belonged to the Trans Bharat Aviation Company and was launched Friday afternoon, about 13:14 local time, reports media.
He was traveling to Sahastra, Dehradun, when he lost contact with aviation authorities as he flew over the Joshimath Valley.
The accident occurred near Joshimath, in the Chamoli district, on a mountainous terrain marked by a difficult approach.
After losing contact, the helicopter tracking system also stopped functioning, making it impossible to locate it immediately.
Heavy rainfall, snow, and poor visibility were recorded in the region during the day. Authorities had issued an orange meteorological warning announcing the possibility of thunder and hail storms. However, the exact cause of the accident had not yet been determined.
The helicopter search included rescue teams and the Indian army. State Prime Minister Utahakhand, Pushcar Singh Dhumi, said he was continually following the situation and that a wide search operation was under way.
Uttarakhand, a country in Himalaje bordering China and Nepal, is one of the most important regions of Hindu pilgrimage to India.
Millions of believers visit him each year to go to holy temples located in mountainous areas, while some of them use helicopters to travel between pilgrimage places.
Over the past ten years, at least 12 helicopter incidents have been recorded in the region. Five of them have ended up with victims, while in the other seven there were no dead persons, but emergency landings and injured persons were registered.
In June 2025, seven people died after a helicopter carrying pilgrims crashed near Kedarnath. Another seven – victim accident was registered on the same pilgrimage route in October 2022. /Telegraphy/