All 7 Bodies Recovered from Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash Site: SDRF Confirms

Rudraprayag: The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has successfully recovered all seven bodies from the site of the tragic helicopter crash near Gaurikund in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. The wreckage, completely engulfed in flames upon impact, left no survivors.

The ill-fated helicopter, a Bell 407 (registration VT-BKA) operated by Aryan Aviation, was en route from Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi when it crashed early Sunday morning, around 5:20 a.m., in a densely forested area known as Gauri Mai Khark, between Gaurikund and Sonprayag.

Among the deceased was a 23-month-old child. The passengers included six pilgrims and the pilot. Rescue teams from SDRF, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the local police were immediately dispatched to the scene under the leadership of SDRF commander Arpan Yaduvanshi.

“The SDRF team reached the crash site at Jorsi (above Gaurikund). The helicopter was completely destroyed in the fire, and all seven bodies have been recovered,” read a post from the SDRF on X (formerly Twitter).

According to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the victims hailed from several states, including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. The deceased were identified as:

• Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan, the pilot, from Jaipur
• Vikram Rawat, an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC)
• Vinod Devi and her granddaughter Trushti Singh, from Uttar Pradesh
• Rajkumar Jaiswal, his wife Shradha Jaiswal, and their daughter Kashi Jaiswal, from Maharashtra

In response to the accident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has reduced the number of helicopter flights to Char Dham and increased safety oversight in the region. An investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is currently underway.

Preliminary findings suggest that poor visibility and adverse weather conditions in the mountainous terrain may have contributed to the crash.

Despite the remote location and challenging terrain, recovery operations continue in full force to retrieve remaining evidence and ensure thorough documentation of the crash site.

This tragic incident has once again raised concerns about the safety of helicopter services in Uttarakhand’s high-altitude regions, especially during the ongoing Char Dham Yatra.