Six killed in northern India helicopter crash

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed on Friday that all six people on board a helicopter — including the pilot — were killed when the aircraft crashed near the village of Chayee — close to Joshimath — prompting immediate search and recovery operations.

Recovery efforts

Surjit Singh Panwar, a senior police officer in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, said rescue teams located the wreckage and recovered the bodies of all six victims from the crash site. The remains were transported to a nearby facility for identification, according to local authorities.

Government response

Dhami said he was "continuously monitoring" the situation after the aircraft went down near Chayee village. The chief minister added that search and rescue teams faced significant challenges reaching the remote location close to the town of Joshimath.

Incident circumstances

The helicopter went missing amid adverse weather conditions shortly before the crash was confirmed, state-owned Doordarshan News reported. Poor visibility and difficult terrain hampered initial rescue efforts in the mountainous region of northern India.