Chopper crashes at Kedarnath, 2 killed

A private aviation helicopter on Wednesday crashed in the flood-hit Kedarnath area in Uttarakhand, minutes after taking off in the inclement weather, killing its pilot and co-pilot .

The helicopter belonging to Tran Bharat Aviation apparently crashed in cloudy weather conditions prevailing in Kedarnath area, where it had gone on Tuesday to drop police personnel, Inspector General of Police R S Meena told Business Standard. The chopper was trying to land on the other side of the river Mandakini in the afternoon when it crashed, Meena said.

The pilot Jagjit SIngh Dhaliwal (49), an ex-army colonel, was a resident of Noida city in Uttar Pradesh. The co-pilot has been identified as Abhay Ranjan.

Last month, two helicopters, including one belonging to Air Force, had crashed killing over 22 people, mostly the army personnel. An inquiry has been ordered by the state civil aviation department.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna expressed shock over the incident and announce a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to both the deceased.