Rudraprayag

The pilgrimage from Sonprayag to Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand has been postponed due to debris and falling stones into the ravine near Jangalchatti, Rudraprayag Police said on Sunday.

Furthermore, the police appealed to devotees coming to Shri Kedarnath Dham to remain safe.

"The footpath was obstructed when debris and stones fell into the ravine near Jangalchatti. The pilgrimage from Sonprayag to Kedarnath Dham has been postponed till further orders. The district police appeals to the devotees coming to Shri Kedarnath Dham to remain safe wherever they are," Rudraprayag Police Uttarakhand posted on X on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami warned of strict action against culprits after seven people were killed in a chopper crash in Rudraprayag district and further stated that aviation companies were directed to follow rules of Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Following the incident, the Chief Minister informed that the Helicopter services will not run for the next two days.

Speaking to ANI, CM Dhami said," This morning, a helicopter crashed due to bad weather. I pray to God for those who lost their lives."

Calling for strict compliance with safety norms, the Chief Minister said, "An emergency meeting has been called immediately, in which instructions have been given that the rules of our DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) should not be violated, and the pilots flying in the upper Himalayan areas should have experience of the region. Aviation companies should also ensure this."

"A control and command centre should be set up. Strict action will be taken against the culprits in this accident... Helicopter services will not run today or tomorrow. These services will remain closed until the safety of the passengers is ensured," he told ANI.

Earlier this morning, seven people, including the pilot on board a helicopter were killed after the chopper crashed near the forested area of Gaurikund in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said.

The Aryan Aviation Helicopter was flying to Guptkashi from the Kedarnath Dham when it crashed at 5:30 am today.

The deceased have been identified as Captain Rajbir Singh Chauhan (39), resident of Jaipur, Vikram Rawat (47) a Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee representative and resident of Rasi, Vinod Devi (66), resident of Uttar Pradesh, Trishti Singh (19), resident of Uttar Pradesh, Rajkumar Suresh Jaiswal (41), resident of Gujarat, Shraddha Rajkumar Jaiswal and Kashi (2), resident of Maharashtra.

Rescue teams were immediately dispatched under the direction of SDRF Commander Arpan Yadav. The incident spot was located in a very inaccessible and dense forest area, where a fast-paced and coordinated rescue operation was carried out by the joint teams of SDRF, NDRF, and local police.

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Rescue teams worked in inclement weather to retrieve the bodies of the deceased.