Uttarakhand chopper crash: All six people on board chopper that crashed in Joshimath have died

NewsIndia NewsUttarakhand chopper crash: All six people on board chopper that crashed in Joshimath have died - what we know so far Uttarakhand chopper crash: All six people on board chopper that crashed in Joshimath have died - what we know so far Edited by Kanchan Yadav / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Oct 30, 2026, 18:29 IST The bodies of all six on board were subsequently recovered.

(ANI image) NEW DELHI: The six people on board a helicopter operated by Trans Bharat Aviation died after it crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday afternoon. The helicopter was travelling from Badrinath to Dehradun when it crashed into a hillside near Chai village."All six people on board chopper that crashed in Joshimath have died, their bodies found," Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar told PTI.The helicopter took off from Badrinath for Sahastradhara Heliport at 1.14 pm.

Authorities lost track of it while it was crossing the Joshimath Valley and it was subsequently reported missing near Hathi Parvat.Search and rescue teams, including personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Army, police and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), were deployed to the area following reports of the crash.

The helicopter took off from Badrinath for Sahastradhara Heliport at 1.14 pm today. Flyers from Bengaluru; names of those on boardAccording to the available details, six people were on board the helicopter, including the pilot and five passengers, all reportedly from Bengaluru.

Their identities are as follows:Pilot: Captain HimanshuPassengers:Prathapa (Male)Arun (Male)Shankar Gowda (Male)Sudheer K (Male)H S Natraja (Male) Helicopter lost contact while crossing Joshimath Speaking to PTI in Dehradun, Prateek Jain, CEO of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), said "the helicopter took off from Badrinath for Sahastradhara Heliport at 1.14 pm today.

As it was crossing the Joshimath Valley, we suddenly lost track of it on our tracking system, which we use to monitor its movements. We have also received some local information regarding the incident.""So far, nothing has been confirmed.

However, according to the information available in the passenger manifest, a total of six people were on board the helicopter, the pilot and five passengers. The helicopter's location has not yet been traced. However, search and rescue teams have been mobilised in coordination with the Chamoli district administration," he said."The SDRF has also been deployed, along with a unit of the Army.

As soon as the weather clears, we will send another rescue helicopter from here to locate the missing helicopter," Jain added.Local inputs about the incident also prompted authorities to initiate a search operation.Chopper showing near Army Camp above Chai villageSub-Inspector Manohar Kanyal of Joshimath police post said information about the incident was received from the Joshimath sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) at 2.21 pm."At 14:21 hrs, information was received from the SDM Joshimath regarding the crash landing of a helicopter above Chai village in the Joshimath area," Kanyal told ANI."In this regard, UCADA officials stated that the location of a Trans Bharat helicopter, which was flying from Badrinath to Sahastradhara, is showing near the Army Camp above Chai village.

Complete details regarding the crash or crash landing are not yet available," he added.Entire Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter fleet groundedSpeaking to ANI, Jain said the helicopter belonged to Trans Bharat Aviation and confirmed that the company’s entire fleet had been grounded as a precautionary measure."A helicopter belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation departed from Badrinath for the Sahastradhara heliport at 1:14 PM.

We have been unable to trace the helicopter's location since it was passing through the vicinity of the Joshimath valley. Upon receiving this information, we mobilised the Chamoli district administration, the SDRF (State Disaster Response Force), and an Army unit to the area near the incident site to prepare for a proper rescue operation," he said."As a precautionary measure, the entire fleet of helicopters belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation has been grounded...According to initial information, there were 6 people on board—the pilot plus 5 others.

We will share further details once we have confirmation..." he added.The grounding is a precautionary step as authorities work to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash. InsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig Development Get the latest India News and Live updates.

Download the TOI app. Kanchan Yadav is a writer at The Times of India, where she covers business, politics, international affairs and social issues. Her reporting also focuses on policy, governance and economic developments, with a close lens on how decisions in corridors of power affect everyday lives and community well-being.

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