CHAMOLI: A helicopter carrying six people from Badrinath to Dehradun crashed near Joshimath on Friday afternoon, Uttarakhand disaster management officials said.
The helicopter, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, had a pilot and five passengers on board. Officials said they do not yet know whether anyone was killed or injured.
It crashed around 2:20 p.m. near Chayee village in Chamoli district, officials said. The district administration said it hit a hillside near the JP Power House. The helicopter had taken off from Badrinath at about 1:12 p.m.
Police, State Disaster Response Force, Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel were sent to the site. Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said rescue work began soon after the administration received word of the crash. Rain and dense cloud have slowed the search.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on X that reports of the crash had been received and that a joint rescue operation was under way.
चाई गांव, जोशीमठ के निकट हेलीकॉप्टर क्रैश होने की दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण सूचना प्राप्त हुई है। जिला प्रशासन, आपदा प्रबंधन विभाग, एसडीआरएफ द्वारा संयुक्त रूप से रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन चलाया जा रहा है।
स्वयं भी पूरे घटनाक्रम की निरंतर निगरानी कर रहा हूं। गंभीर रूप से घायलों को तत्काल एयरलिफ्ट कर बेहतर उपचार हेतु हायर सेंटर पहुंचाने के निर्देश दिए हैं।
ईश्वर से यात्रियों के सकुशल होने की कामना करता हूं।— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) October 30, 2026
Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swaroop said the helicopter had only been reported missing and that there was no official confirmation of a crash, according to Free Press Journal. The newspaper also reported that Trans Bharat Aviation’s fleet has been grounded as a precaution.
