Dehradun

The Indian Army, Chamoli district administration and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been mobilised for a search and rescue operation after a Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter carrying six people went missing while flying from Badrinath to Sahastradhara in Dehradun on Friday, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) Chief Executive Officer Prateek Jain said.

The helicopter, bearing call sign VT-HCX, took off at approximately 1:14 PM and lost communication while passing through the Joshimath valley. Its tracking system also stopped receiving its location, and the aircraft’s current whereabouts could not be ascertained, according to UCADA.

“A helicopter belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation departed from Badrinath for the Sahastradhara heliport at 1:14 PM. We have been unable to trace the helicopter’s location since it was passing through the vicinity of the Joshimath valley,” Jain said, adding that teams had been mobilised to the area near the incident site to prepare for a rescue operation.

As a precautionary measure, the entire fleet of helicopters belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt. Ltd. has been grounded. Jain said further details would be shared once confirmed.

“As a precautionary measure, the entire fleet of helicopters belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation has been grounded...According to initial information, there were 6 people on board—the pilot plus 5 others. We will share further details once we have confirmation," he added.

Meanwhile, at 14:21 hours, information was received from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Joshimath, regarding a possible crash landing above Chai village in the Joshimath area.

Sub-Inspector Manohar Kanyal of Joshimath Post said UCADA officials had informed them that the helicopter’s location was showing near the Army Camp above Chai village. However, complete details regarding the crash or crash landing were not yet available.

The Chamoli district administration said smoke was seen rising near Chai village following the disappearance of the helicopter. A team from the administration was searching the area, while an aerial search team was also deployed using another helicopter to locate the missing aircraft.

According to UCADA, six people were on board, including pilot Captain Himanshu and five passengers identified as Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K and HS Natraja.

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The helicopter was operating from Badrinath to Sahastradhara heliport in Dehradun when it lost contact over the Joshimath valley.