A tragic helicopter crash near the Bhagirathi River in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district claimed the lives of five passengers, while two others sustained serious injuries, officials confirmed. The helicopter, carrying six passengers and a pilot, went down near Ganganani, a remote area close to the India-China border.
According to Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey, the injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the incident and directed immediate rescue and relief operations. “SDRF and district teams are on-site. The administration has been instructed to provide full support to the injured and begin a thorough investigation,” the CM said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Visuals from the crash site show the chopper’s badly damaged interior, highlighting the severity of the impact. The Chief Minister’s Office also released a statement reiterating the state’s commitment to assisting the victims and uncovering the reason behind the crash.
