Premium

Chopper on way to Kedarnath makes emergency landing on highway; all safe

A parked vehicle on the highway was damaged

A Kedarnath-bound helicopter after it made an emergency landing at Badasu area in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district, Saturday (PTI)

A helicopter carrying five passengers to Kedarnath on Saturday had to make a quick landing on a highway in Uttarakhand.

The chopper hit a technical snag during take-off, prompting the precautionary landing on the road, officials said. A parked vehicle on the highway was damaged.

The helicopter belonging to Krestel Aviation Pvt Ltd, according to the DGCA, developed a technical snag during take-off on Saturday afternoon. District tourism development officer, Rahul Chaubey, said the pilot, sensing the situation in time, made an emergency landing on a nearby road, thereby averting a major mishap.

“The pilot sustained minor injuries and was immediately taken to the hospital. Upon receiving information about the incident, the district administration dispatched a team to the site,” he added.

Chaubey said that the helicopter was taking off from its base at Barasu for Kedarnath Dham with five passengers on board and the pilot spotted an empty stretch of road nearby to carry out an emergency landing. “All five passengers on board the helicopter are safe. The incident has not affected the ongoing heli shuttle services,” the state government said in a statement.

The Government of Uttarakhand’s Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) has informed the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, said UCADA CEO, Sonika.

Aiswarya Raj

Aiswarya Raj is a Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, one of India's most respected media houses, specialising in in-depth coverage of Uttarakhand and the Himalayan region. Her work focuses on delivering essential, ground-up reporting across complex regional issues. Aiswarya brings significant journalistic experience to her role, having started her career at The Indian Express as a Sub-Editor with the Delhi city team. She subsequently developed her reporting expertise by covering Gurugram and its neighboring districts before transitioning to her current focus. She is an accomplished alumna of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) and the University of Kerala. Her reporting is characterized by a commitment to narrative journalism, prioritising the human element and verified facts behind critical events. Aiswarya’s beats demonstrate deep expertise in state politics, law enforcement investigations (e.g., paper leak cases, international cyber scams), human-wildlife conflict, environmental disasters, and socio-economic matters affecting local communities. This specific, sustained focus on critical regional news provides the necessary foundation for high trustworthiness and authoritativeness on topics concerning Uttarakhand. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Kedarnath