Seven people, including a toddler, lost their lives in a helicopter crash in India’s northern Uttarakhand state while en route for a Hindu pilgrimage, according to officials.
The helicopter, operated by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, took off around 5:30am (00:00 GMT) on Sunday from Kedarnath, a temple town, heading towards Guptkashi—approximately 37 kilometers (23 miles) away. However, it crashed shortly after takeoff in the Himalayan region.
Those killed in the crash have been identified as the pilot, Captain Rajveer Singh Chauhan, and passengers Vikram Rawat, Vinod Devi, Trishti Singh, Rajkumar Jaiswal, his wife Shraddha Jaiswal, and their two-year-old daughter, Kashi.
Authorities said the bodies were severely burned due to a fire that erupted after the crash.
The Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force told ANI news agency that the crash occurred in a remote, heavily forested area. A rescue operation is ongoing in coordination with local police.
