Six Killed in Helicopter Crash Near Gangnani in Uttarkashi, Probe Ordered
Uttarkashi, May 8 – A tragic helicopter crash occurred on Thursday morning near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, claiming the lives of six people, including five pilgrims and the pilot. One passenger survived with critical injuries, officials confirmed. The incident has prompted a detailed investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The helicopter, operated by a private company, Aerotrans Services Pvt. Ltd., was ferrying pilgrims from Yamunotri to Gangotri and was scheduled to land at Harsil helipad. According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the aircraft crashed into a gorge 200–250 meters deep near the Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway at approximately 8:11 AM.
Immediately after receiving the distress alert, teams from the district administration, local police, and SDRF rushed to the crash site to begin rescue operations. The victims were identified as pilot Robin Singh (60) from Vadodara, Vijayalakshmi Reddy (57) and Ruchi Agarwal (56) from Powai in Mumbai, Kala Chandrakant Soni (61), Radha Agarwal (79) from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, and Vedanti Devi (48) from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh.
Vedanti Devi’s husband, Maktur Bhaskar (51), was the lone survivor and was critically injured. He was airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh for urgent medical treatment, according to Uttarkashi District Magistrate Dr. Mehrbar Singh Bisht.
As per agency report, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the bereaved families. He stated on social media platform X that rescue teams reached the site promptly and all efforts were being made to support the injured and investigate the cause of the crash. He further mentioned that he was in constant touch with officials and closely monitoring the situation.
The AAIB, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the accident and recommend safety enhancements. Officials confirmed that the crashed aircraft was a Bell helicopter operated by the private firm, which also owns another Bell helicopter and a Cessna aircraft, as per records available on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) website.
The AAIB is tasked with investigating aviation accidents within Indian airspace and classifying incidents to propose safety improvements, making its involvement in this case critical to preventing similar tragedies in the future.
