Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 8, : The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will be conducting a thorough probe into the incident of the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi District earlier on Thursday, an official said.
The crash has left five people dead and two seriously injured, as per Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey.
According to a senior Ministry of Civil Aviation official, the helicopter, registered as VT-OXF and operated by Aero Trans Service Private Limited, was chartered from Ahmedabad and carried six passengers and one captain. As per Pandey, the incident occurred in the border district of Uttarkashi near Ganganani.
"A helicopter crashed at Ganganani place. There were six passengers and a pilot onboard... Relief and rescue operations were started immediately... Local police, local magistrate and SDRF team reached the spot. One person has been rescued and airlifted... six people have died," Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said.
Visuals from the crash site showed the mangled interior of the chopper.
Following the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy in a post on X, stating, "Very sad news has been received about some casualties in a helicopter crash near Gangani in Uttarkashi."
He stated that State Disaster Relief Forces (SDRF) and district administration teams were rushed to the site for relief and rescue work.
"SDRF and district administration teams have immediately reached the spot for relief and rescue work. May God grant peace to the souls of those who died in the accident and give strength to the bereaved families to bear this immense sorrow. I have instructed the administration to provide all possible help to the injured and investigate the accident. I am constantly in touch with the officials in this regard and every situation is being monitored," Dhami stated on X.