Tragedy struck Kedarnath in Uttarakhand when a chopper carrying four pilgrims crashed near Garud Chatti. The chopper was on the way back from the cave shrine to the Phata helipad. According to State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) that reached the accident site and carried rescue operations at a war footing said dense fog and bad weather is the reason behind the crash.

Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted, “The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate. We are in touch with the state government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss, and are constantly monitoring the situation”.

Uttarakhand SDRF Commandant Manikant Mishra confirmed the six deaths in the chopper crash.

The ill-fated chopper belonged to the Ayan Aviation Pvt Ltd that provides heli services in the area.