IAF chopper crashes near Kedarnath, all on board safe

Six people on board an IAF helicopter escaped unhurt today after it crashed near the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath.

An MI-17 chopper of the Indian Air Force crashed at 8.20 AM while landing at the helipad in Kedarnath, Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal said.

All the six people on board made a safe exit, he said.

The chopper was carrying heavy mechanical equipment from Guptkashi to Kedarnath for ongoing reconstruction work there, the district magistrate said.

A court of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, official sources said in Delhi.