An Mi-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) with six persons on board crashed near Kedarnath temple on Tuesday morning. The IAF chopper turned almost upside down after the crash.
The cargo chopper was carrying building and road construction material to be used in the popular Uttarakhand hill town frequented by tourists and devotees.
While all six occupants, including two pilots, are safe, IAF technician Akhilesh suffered minor injuries. The incident took place at 8.30 am.
Pilot Wing Commander S S Multaney and co-pilot Squadron Leader R M Chaudhary, and three other Indian Air Force staffers including H R Ojha, N Rajan and A Kausik, are safe.
The Mi-17 helicopter of the IAF is being deployed for ferrying reconstruction material from Guptkashi to Kedarnath. After completing the first trip, the chopper was taking shuttering material when it crashed near the helipad near the famous Kedarnath temple.
According to reports, the chopper collided with an iron girder at the helipad.
The reports said the helicopter attempted to land at the helipad when a part of it collided with the iron girder and caught fire. The chopper fell on the ground and turned almost upside down.
The crash site was cordoned off and the occupants of the helicopter were evacuated soon.
Shifting of the IAF staff to Bareilly was, however, delayed due to bad weather and resultant low visibility, officials said.
Prior to this incident, two pilots died when an Indian Air Force (IAF) microlight helicopter crashed in Assam’s Majuli island on February 15.
On January 13, a Pawan Hans helicopter carrying two pilots and five ONGC employees crashed about 22 miles off Mumbai coast. All seven people died in the accident.