Dehradun: Six people, including five tourists from Bengaluru and the pilot, were killed after a helicopter operated by Trans Bharat crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand on Sunday while returning from Badrinath Dham.
The helicopter, bearing registration number VT-HCX, had taken off from Badrinath at around 1.14pm and was heading to Sahastradhara heliport in Dehradun. Tracking contact with the aircraft was lost while it was flying near the Joshimath valley, following which authorities confirmed the crash.
Preliminary reports suggest that adverse weather conditions may have contributed to the accident. The exact cause of the crash is yet to be established.
The victims were identified as pilot Himanshu and five Bengaluru residents — Pratap, Arun Salanke, Shankaregowda, K Sudheer and Nataraj.
Arun Salanke was an inspector with Bengaluru’s Central Crime Branch (CCB). A 2007-batch police officer, he had served at several police stations in the city, including Indiranagar and Banaswadi.
According to reports, the five tourists from Bengaluru, including lawyers K Sudheer and Shankaregowda, had travelled to Uttarakhand for a pilgrimage and were returning from Badrinath when the helicopter met with the accident.
