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By Myke Agunwa.
(C) Google.
A helicopter crash in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand has claimed seven lives, marking the country’s second fatal aviation tragedy in less than a week.
The crash , according to Point Blank,occurred on Sunday morning, just three days after a devastating India Air plane accident in Ahmedabad that left more than 270 people dead.
Sources said that,the Aryan Aviation Bell 407 helicopter, registered as VT-BKA, was en route from Kedarnath to Guptkashi,a popular pilgrimage corridor in the Himalayan region,when it went down under yet-unclear circumstances.
The BBC reported that the helicopter was carrying six passengers, including a two-year-old child, along with the pilot. All onboard perished.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that both the pilot and the child were among the deceased white
the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been tasked with determining the cause of the crash.
“At around 5:30 A.M, we received information that a helicopter en route from Shri Kedarnath Dham was untraceable,” said a spokesperson from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Department.
Wreckage was later located near Gaurikund, a key rest stop for pilgrims traveling to the Kedarnath shrine.
Emergency response teams, including the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), quickly mobilized to conduct search and recovery operations.
Meanwhile, rescue and recovery efforts continue in Ahmedabad following Thursday’s crash of an India Air Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in a densely populated neighborhood.
Officials confirmed that 25 additional bodies were recovered from the rubble late Friday night.
The Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad has so far received 270 bodies and DNA testing is underway to help identify victims, many of whom were severely burned or disfigured.
A hospital spokesperson told the Associated Press that the sole survivor of the crash is recovering well.
“He is doing very well and should be discharged anytime soon,” the official said on Saturday.
As investigations into both incidents unfold, aviation safety in India has come under renewed scrutiny.
Meanwhile,the Times of India in New Delhi reported that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced the suspension of helicopter services on Sunday and Monday, following a crash that claimed seven lives near the Kedarnath shrine.
The Chief Minister also directed the immediate formulation of a stringent Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for helicopter operations in the state.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
