A helicopter carrying six people crashed in northern India's Uttarakhand state. Rescue teams are currently searching for survivors near the village of Joshimath.
A helicopter carrying six people crashed in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The passengers included five pilgrims traveling through the region.
Also, officials confirmed the crash occurred near a village close to Joshimath. This area sits within the rugged Chamoli district.
Next, rescue teams arrived at the mountainous crash site. Authorities still do not know the condition of the people on board.
Then, the aircraft took off from the Badrinath pilgrimage site on Friday afternoon. It lost contact shortly after departing.
Meanwhile, heavy rain and poor visibility hit the region during the flight. The exact cause of the crash remains unknown today.
As a result, the state government launched a large rescue operation. Teams from the disaster management department and local police are working together.
However, the weather conditions complicate the search efforts. The local weather department issued an orange alert for storms and strong winds.
After that, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced he is monitoring the situation closely. He ordered that responders airlift any survivors for urgent medical care.
Still, this accident follows a history of aviation safety concerns in the region. Millions of devotees visit these holy Himalayan shrines every year.
For example, seven people died in a helicopter crash near Kedarnath in June 2025. Another crash killed seven people on the same route in 2022.
Finally, aviation officials recently tightened safety rules after multiple incidents. They continue to review operations to protect the pilgrims traveling through these steep valleys.