Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash: All Six on Board Declared Dead
All six people on board a Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter that went missing near Joshimath in Uttarakhand have been declared dead.
A tragic aviation accident in the mountains of Uttarakhand has ended in heartbreak. All six individuals on board a helicopter that went missing while traveling from Badrinath Dham to Dehradun have been declared dead. The confirmation was provided by Prateek Jain, the Chief Executive Officer of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).
The Timeline of the Tragedy
The flight, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, departed from the Badrinath civil helipad in Chamoli at approximately 1:12 PM on October 30, destined for the Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun. However, the journey turned fatal just minutes after takeoff.
According to Chamoli Superintendent of Police (SP) Surjeet Singh Panwar, the aircraft's transmission link with the radar was abruptly lost near Joshimath at 1:14 PM, leaving ground controllers with no communication for the remaining duration of the flight.
Eyewitness Accounts and Search Operations
The search for the missing aircraft was intensified following a critical lead from the military. Personnel stationed at a nearby Army post reported seeing the helicopter heading directly into the valley. The sighting occurred approximately one kilometer above the Bhandakand Temple, located near Pandukeshwar.
In response to the disappearance, a massive search and rescue operation was launched. SP Surjeet Singh Panwar detailed the deployment of two specialized teams:
- One team was dispatched from the direction of Pandukeshwar.
- A second team was deployed from Joshimath.
These teams consisted of personnel from the police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Indian Army. To navigate the challenging mountainous terrain, a drone was also deployed from Gopeshwar to assist in locating the wreckage.
Victims of the Crash
The helicopter was carrying a total of six people. Among the deceased was the pilot, Himanshu Sabharwal, a resident of Delhi. He was accompanying five passengers, all of whom were reported to be from Karnataka.
"A helicopter belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation took off from the Badrinath civil helipad... at approximately 1:12 PM. At 1:14 PM, its transmission link with the radar was lost near Joshimath," stated SP Surjeet Singh Panwar in a recorded video statement.