Helicopter Airlifted By Mi-17 Aircraft Crashes In Kedarnath Near Tharu Camp, SDRF Team On Spot

The helicopter which was being airlifted had to make an emergency landing due to a technical fault on 24th May 2024.

Written by: Analiza Pathak Edited by: Analiza Pathak

Updated: August 31, 2024, 11:28 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/helicopter-airlifted-by-mi-17-aircraft-crashes-in-kedarnath-near-tharu-camp-gauchar-airstrip-sdrf-team-on-spot-7207707/ Copy

Helicopter Airlifted By Mi-17 Aircraft Crashes In Kedarnath Near Tharu Camp, SDRF Team On Spot

A helicopter which was being airlifted by Mi-17 aircraft to Gauchar airstrip for repair work, crashed in Kedarnath. The helicopter which was being airlifted had to make an emergency landing due to a technical fault on 24th May 2024. District Tourism Officer Rahul Chaubey said, “There was a plan to take the helicopter to Gauchar airstrip on Saturday, with the help of Mi-17 aircraft, for repair. As soon as it covered a little distance, the Mi-17 started losing balance due to the weight of the helicopter and wind, due to which the helicopter had to be dropped near Tharu camp. There was no passenger or luggage on the helicopter. The rescue team reached the spot as soon as the information was received. The team is inspecting the situation.”

SDRF said, “Today, the SDRF rescue team received information through Police post Lincholi that a faulty helicopter of a private company, which was being towed by another helicopter from Shri Kedarnath helipad to Gochar helipad, fell into the river at Lincholi near Tharu Camp. The SDRF team has reached the spot and relief work is going on. There has been no loss of life in this incident. Search is being conducted by the SDRF team.”

According to a district tourism official, there were no passengers or luggage aboard the helicopter at the time of the incident.

The helicopter had previously been safely landed by the pilot on May 24, 2024, after a technical fault was detected during its approach to the Kedarnath helipad. All passengers were safely evacuated at that time.

District tourism official Rahul Chaubey stated, “The plan was to transport the Crystal Aviation helicopter to the Gauchar airstrip for repairs this morning. The MI-17 helicopter had taken off around 7 a.m. with the helicopter suspended underneath. However, as it neared Tharu Camp, the MI-17 began to lose balance due to the weight and wind conditions, forcing the pilot to release the helicopter.”