Kedarnath Helicopter Crash: 7 Lives Lost ! 5th Chopper Accident on Char Dham Route in 6 Weeks, CM Dhami Reacts

Seven individuals, including a baby and the pilot, died after a helicopter crash near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district early Sunday morning. A helicopter from Aryan Aviation crashed in the early hours as it was returning from the Kedarnath shrine to its base station in Guptkashi at around 5:20 am. The crash site is in a wooded area between Gaurikund and Sonprayag. The deceased included five adult pilgrims, one child, and the pilot. The passengers were reportedly from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.

"The helicopter crashed under sudden bad weather, and possibly after technical failure because the pilot was trying to fly out of the valley when the crash occurred," an official said, adding, "the helicopter was on fire after it fell on the mountain." Two locals collecting fodder for their animals, who were also part of the search parties, were the first to find the wreckage after searching for hours and then contacted the local authorities. 

Is It the Price of Not Being Careful?

After six weeks, this is the fifth chopper crash on the Char Dham road. This makes people all over the country very scared. More and more people are calling for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to review current permissions and make private flight companies follow stricter rules because these kinds of accidents happen so often. Experts say that bad weather, pilots who are too busy, and not doing regular repair checks could all be to blame. According to a TOI report, there have been 4 helicopter crashes in the last 6 weeks.

People and people who work in flight want things to change

On social media, people have had strong reactions. Many have asked why passenger safety has been put at risk so many times. People are asking for a short break in the helicopter service until all operators pass a safety check.

जनपद रुद्रप्रयाग में हेलीकॉप्टर के दुर्घटनाग्रस्त होने का अत्यंत दुःखद समाचार प्राप्त हुआ है। एसडीआरएफ, स्थानीय प्रशासन एवं अन्य रेस्क्यू दल राहत एवं बचाव कार्यों में जुटे हैं।

बाबा केदार से सभी यात्रियों के सकुशल होने की कामना करता हूँ।

— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) June 15, 2025

As the Char Dham Yatra goes on, the government is under more and more pressure to make the journey easier while also keeping people safe. The state is now carefully reviewing its flight rules, especially those that deal with sensitive mountain areas.