A faulty helicopter of a private firm, which was being airlifted using an MI-17 chopper for repair works crashed near Kedarnath during the early hours of Saturday. No casualties have been reported and a State Disaster Rescue Force team is conducting searches in the river near Lincholi.
The helicopter was reportedly used by a private firm to transport pilgrims. According to authorities, the helicopter made an emergency landing in May this year following a technical snag. The aircraft, which was being airlifted for repair works had to be dropped after it affected the balance of the MI-17 chopper, authorities said.
VIDEO | Uttarakhand: A defective helicopter, which was being air lifted from #Kedarnath by another chopper, accidentally fell from mid-air as the towing rope snapped, earlier today.#UttarakhandNews
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 31, 2024
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/yYo9nCXRIw
District Tourism Officer Rahul Chaubey told ANI, "There was a plan to take the helicopter to Gauchar airstrip on Saturday, with the help of Mi-17 aircraft, for repair. As soon as it covered a little distance, the Mi-17 started losing balance due to the weight of the helicopter and wind, due to which the helicopter had to be dropped near Tharu camp. There was no passenger or luggage on the helicopter. The rescue team reached the spot as soon as the information was received. The team is inspecting the situation."
SDRF have started search operations in the area and said no life has been lost due to the incident.
In a statement, SDRF said, “Today, the SDRF rescue team received information through Police post-Lincholi that a faulty helicopter of a private company, which was being towed by another helicopter from Shri Kedarnath helipad to Gochar helipad, fell into the river at Lincholi near Tharu Camp. The SDRF team has reached the spot and relief work is going on. There has been no loss of life in this incident. Search is being conducted by the SDRF team."
