A commercial helicopter carrying six people, including five pilgrims and one pilot, crashed near Chaien village close to Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Friday afternoon, October 30, 2026.
The aircraft, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, had taken off from Badrinath Dham at 1:12 PM IST and was en route to Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun before losing contact with air traffic controllers and going down in the mountainous terrain.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Confirms Crash and Orders Medical Airlift
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed the tragedy on social media, stating that district administrative units, the Disaster Management Department, and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have launched a high-priority joint rescue operation at the crash site.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), CM Dhami posted:
“We have received the unfortunate news of a helicopter crash near Chaien village, close to Joshimath. A joint rescue operation is being conducted by the district administration, disaster management department, and SDRF. I am continuously monitoring the entire incident. Instructions have been given to immediately airlift the seriously injured to higher centres for better treatment…”
Incident Overview & Search Operation Details
- Operator: Trans Bharat Aviation
- Departure Point & Time: Badrinath Dham at 1:12 PM IST
- Destination: Sahastradhara Helipad, Dehradun
- Crash Location: Near Chaien village, Joshimath (Chamoli district)
- People Onboard: 6 (1 Pilot + 5 Passengers)
- Emergency Response: SDRF, local police, and army units deployed; air ambulance and emergency medical teams put on standby for advanced medical evacuation.
Adverse weather conditions, heavy cloud cover, and low visibility across the high-altitude Joshimath-Badrinath corridor presented significant challenges during initial search efforts. Rescue personnel are working on-site to extract survivors and transport the critically injured to higher medical facilities in Dehradun and Rishikesh as instructed by the Chief Minister.
