Kedarnath chopper crash: Full list of aviation companies operating helicopter services for Kedarnath Temple
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed grief over the helicopter crash incident near Kedarnath. He offered condolences to the kin of the deceased.
FollowA helicopter ferrying pilgrims back from the Kedarnath temple on Tuesday crashed amid poor visibility, killing all seven people onboard. The chopper burst into flames close to Garud Chatti and Jungle Chatti, killing six pilgrims and the pilot, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said.
Reacting to this, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami offered condolences to the families of the deceased. He also informed that rescue operations are underway.
Also read:Â Pilot among 6 killed as helicopter carrying Kedarnath pilgrims crashes in Uttarakhand
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed grief over the helicopter crash incident near Kedarnath. He offered condolences to the kin of the deceased.
In a tweet, Shah said, "The incident of the crash of the helicopter carrying the pilgrims in Kedarnath is very sad. I express my condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in this accident. May God give them the strength to bear this grief (roughly translated from Hindi)."
Also read:Â 'No blisters, no sunscreen,' reveals Rahul Gandhi during 'gupshup' break
Every year lakhs of pilgrims visit Kedarnath Temple which is located at the Rudra Himalaya Range at a height of 12000 feet atop the Garhwal Himalayan range. The temple enshrining the Jyotirlingam of Shiva is open between the end of April to the start of November.
Here's the list of aviation companies that operate helicopter services in Kedarnath:
- Aryan Aviation offers Kedarnath Helicopter service from Guptkashi
- Pawan Hans – It operates its chopper services from Phata by 6-seater Bell 407/ Ecureuil B3 helicopters. The Phata helipad is located beyond Guptkashi and is linked by a motorable road on the way to Kedarnath.
- Himalayan Heli: The helicopter services are available from may to June and September-October
- Thumby Aviation: The company operates HeliTaxii services from Phata to Shri Kedarnath helipad.
- Krystal Aviation offers chopper service from Dehradun - Kedarnath - Dehradun
- Arrow Aircraft offers choppers from Guptkashi-Kedarnath-Guptkashi
- Arrow Aircraft also offers services from Sersi - Kedarnath - Sersi
- Chipsan Aviation operates from Phata
- Pinnacle Air Pvt Ltd operates chopper services to Kedarnath Dham from Phata
