A helicopter carrying six people, including the pilot, crashed amid snowfall near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district while travelling from Badrinath to Dehradun.
The helicopter, operated by private aviation company Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt Ltd, took off from Badrinath at around 1:14 pm. The aircraft, bearing the call sign VT-HCX, reportedly lost communication while flying over the Joshimath Valley, officials said.
According to a statement issued by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the helicopter also disappeared from the tracking system, leaving authorities unable to immediately determine its exact location.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami later confirmed that the helicopter had crashed near Chai village in the Joshimath region.
Following the incident, a joint search and rescue operation was launched by the district administration, the Disaster Management Department and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
In a post on X, Dhami said that he was closely monitoring the situation and that all concerned agencies had been directed to coordinate rescue efforts.
Further details regarding the condition of the six people on board and the circumstances surrounding the crash are awaited.