PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The helicopter crash in Kedar valley on Sunday morning that killed all seven passengers including the pilot on board is the fifth such incident in the last 38 days on the Char Dham Yatra route. The alarming regularity with which these accidents are occurring have put up a big question mark on the operation of the Heli services in the State.
On May 8, six people lost their lives while one was severely injured when a helicopter ferrying pilgrims to Gangotri shrine crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi. The accident occurred at around 8.30 AM and the dead included five passengers and the pilot of the helicopter.
On May 12, the passengers on board a helicopter had a miraculous escape when the pilot lost control shortly after the take-off in Badrinath. The blade of the helicopter struck a vehicle of the aviation company on the helicopter.
Similarly on May 17, an air ambulance ( Sanjeevni) of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh sent to airlift a female pilgrim suffering from acute respiratory distress in Kedarnath crashed near the helipad in the shrine. The tail of the helicopter hit the ground during landing. The pilot, a doctor of AIIMS Rishikesh and a nursing officer of the institute escaped unhurt in the accident.
On June 7, a helicopter crash-landed in the Badasu area of Rudraprayag district shortly after taking off from Sirsi helipad. The helicopter, carrying five pilgrims to Kedarnath, had departed from the Sirsi helipad. The tail of the helicopter broke off during the landing but no one was injured in the accident.
Social activist and founder of the social development for communities (SDG) foundation Anoop Nautiyal said that the fifth helicopter accident in the Char Dham Yatra this year raises question on the safety protocols.
