Helicopter, Being Airlifted By MI-17 Chopper, Crashes In Kedarnath

A defective helicopter being airlifted from Uttarakhand's Kedarnath to Gauchar by an MI-17 chopper accidentally fell from mid-air as the towing rope snapped this morning.

The helicopter, which was operated by a private company, crashed near the Mandakini River in Lincholi. An official said no one was injured in the accident, which was caught on camera.

"The plan was to take the helicopter to Gauchar airstrip with the help of MI-17 aircraft for repair. As soon as it covered a little distance, the MI-17 started losing balance due to the weight of the helicopter and wind, due to which the helicopter had to be dropped near Tharu camp," the news agency ANI quoted an official as saying.

There was no passenger or luggage on the helicopter, the official said, adding that a rescue team was at the spot.

He said the private helicopter had made an emergency landing near the Kedarnath helipad due to some technical faults in May.

The chopper was earlier reportedly involved in ferrying passengers to Kedarnath temple.

There has been a sharp drop in the number of pilgrims going to Kedarnath since July 31 due to extensive damage caused by heavy rain to the trek route to the Himalayan temple.

Rain-induced landslides along the route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath had left thousands of people stranded, prompting the administration to launch a massive rescue operation aided by the Air Force's Chinook and MI17 helicopters, besides private choppers.

Though the trek route had remained largely suspended in August, the pilgrims arrived at the temple on helicopters.

Chardham Yatra began this year on May 10 with the opening of the Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri temples for pilgrims. The portals of Badrinath opened on May 12.

More than 33 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the Himalayan temples.