Kedarnath-bound chopper makes precautionary landing in Rudraprayag, fourth mishap this season

A private helicopter carrying five pilgrims to Kedarnath made a precautionary landing in the Badasu area of Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district on the morning of June 7, shortly after taking off from the Sirsi helipad.

The helipad is one of the key sites used alongside Phata and Guptkashi for Char Dham Yatra shuttle services.

According to officials, while the tail of the helicopter broke during the landing, all passengers remained unharmed.

This marks the fourth helicopter-related incident on the Char Dham route in the last 30 days.

“The CEO of UCADA has informed us that a helicopter made a precautionary landing on the road, instead of the helipad, while taking off with passengers from Sirsi. There are no reports of any casualties. The DGCA has been notified, and the rest of the shuttle operations are proceeding as scheduled,” reads the statement issued by the state government.

The recent string of mishaps began with a fatal crash near Gangotri on May 8 that claimed six lives.

On May 12, a potential disaster was narrowly avoided at the Badrinath helipad when a chopper blade struck a parked vehicle.

On May 17, an air ambulance crash-landed near Kedarnath after its tail hit the ground during landing; however, the pilot, doctor, and nursing staff onboard escaped without injuries.

Authorities are continuing investigations and maintaining heightened safety protocols as the yatra season progresses.