Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash: All Six Victims Recovered After Over 24 Hours of Rescue Efforts

The mortal remains of all six people killed in a helicopter crash near Joshimath in Uttarakhand have been recovered and transported to AIIMS Rishikesh, bringing a difficult rescue operation to an end after more than 24 hours in challenging mountainous terrain.

The remains were recovered on Sunday morning, November 1, and initially brought by road to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Joshimath. After completing the necessary formalities, they were airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, by helicopter, the Chamoli district administration said.

The helicopter crashed on Friday while returning to Dehradun from the Badrinath shrine. The aircraft went down on a hillside near Chai village in Joshimath, killing all six people on board.

Rescue teams faced considerable difficulties because of the crash site’s remote location, steep mountain slopes and high-altitude conditions. The bodies were eventually brought down on foot along difficult mountain paths.

Personnel from the Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Uttarakhand Police, district administration and Forest Department worked together in the search and recovery operation.

The operation began shortly after the crash on Friday but took more than 24 hours to complete because of the inaccessible terrain and difficult weather and geographical conditions.

The recovery of all six victims marks the completion of the search and rescue operation at the crash site.