NEW DELHI: A chopper, which was being airlifted for repair works by an MI-17 helicopter, crashed in Kedarnath on Saturday (Aug 31) morning.
The chopper was being taken to Gauchar in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli for repair after it was hit by a technical snag and forced to make an emergency landing at the Kedarnath Dham in May this year.
According to officials, soon after the take off, the MI-17 helicopter started losing balance, following which the pilot decided to drop the chopper, resulting in its crash.
"The plan was to transport the helicopter to Gauchar airstrip for repairs using the MI-17 aircraft.
"However, shortly after takeoff, the MI-17 started losing balance due to the helicopter’s weight and wind conditions, leading to the helicopter being dropped near Tharu camp," said District Tourism Officer Rahul Chaubey.
Chaubey also confirmed that there were no passengers or luggage on board the helicopter at the time of the crash.
“A rescue team was dispatched immediately after receiving information about the incident, and they are currently assessing the situation,” Chaubey added.
The chopper that crashed had previously made an emergency landing on May 24 near the Kedarnath helipad due to technical issues, he noted.
The SDRF team reached the crash site and there have been no reports.of any casualties in the incident. - The Statesman/ANN
