Chamoli: A helicopter carrying six people crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Friday afternoon while flying from Badrinath towards Dehradun, triggering a search and rescue operation.
The aircraft, operated by private aviation company Trans Bharat Aviation, had five passengers and a pilot on board. It reportedly took off from Badrinath at around 1:12 pm before losing contact with air traffic authorities.
Helicopter With Six People On Board Goes Missing Between Badrinath And Joshimath Amid Bad Weather, Safety Remains Unconfirmed #Badrinath #Uttarakhand #HelicopterMissing https://t.co/AzX26uIfU5
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) October 30, 2026
According to preliminary reports, the crash occurred near Chai village in the Joshimath area, close to the JP Power House. The exact circumstances of the incident are yet to be established.
Teams from the district administration, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police have been deployed to assist in the rescue operation. Additional helicopters have also been used to search the surrounding mountainous terrain.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was monitoring the situation and had directed officials to ensure that anyone seriously injured was airlifted to advanced medical facilities without delay.
चाई गांव, जोशीमठ के निकट हेलीकॉप्टर क्रैश होने की दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण सूचना प्राप्त हुई है। जिला प्रशासन, आपदा प्रबंधन विभाग, एसडीआरएफ द्वारा संयुक्त रूप से रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन चलाया जा रहा है।
स्वयं भी पूरे घटनाक्रम की निरंतर निगरानी कर रहा हूं। गंभीर रूप से घायलों को तत्काल एयरलिफ्ट कर बेहतर उपचार हेतु हायर सेंटर पहुंचाने के निर्देश दिए हैं।
ईश्वर से यात्रियों के सकुशल होने की कामना करता हूं।
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) October 30, 2026
The condition of the six people aboard the helicopter has not yet been officially confirmed. Authorities are continuing search efforts, while further details about the incident are awaited.
