Trans Bharat Aviation chopper carrying one pilot and five passengers goes down near Chai village in Chamoli; rescue teams deployed amid rain and poor visibility

CHAMOLI: A helicopter operated by Trans Bharat Aviation crashed near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Friday afternoon while travelling from Badrinath towards Dehradun. The aircraft was carrying six people, including the pilot and five passengers. The wreckage has been located, and all six occupants are feared dead, although their deaths had not been officially confirmed in the latest reports available.

The helicopter, bearing call sign VT-HCX, took off from Badrinath at approximately 1:14 pm for Sahastradhara in Dehradun. It reportedly lost communication while flying over the Joshimath valley, after which its tracking signal also disappeared.

The accident occurred around 2:20 pm near Chai village, close to the JP Power House and Marwari Bridge in the Joshimath area. Initial information indicated that the helicopter had struck a hillside.

Teams from the Chamoli district administration, police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were mobilised for search and rescue operations. The difficult terrain, rainfall and poor visibility have added to the challenges faced by the rescue personnel.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was personally monitoring the situation and had directed officials to ensure that anyone critically injured was airlifted immediately to an advanced medical facility. He also expressed concern for the safety of those on board.

The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) confirmed the aircraft’s operator and flight details. As a precautionary measure following the accident, the authority also ordered the grounding of Trans Bharat Aviation’s entire helicopter fleet.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the operational challenges of helicopter services in Uttarakhand’s mountainous terrain, particularly during periods of rapidly changing weather. The India Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert for Chamoli, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, hail and gusty winds, with rain and snowfall also forecast along the Badrinath-Joshimath route.

The exact cause of the crash has not yet been established. The circumstances surrounding the flight and the aircraft’s loss of communication will require a detailed investigation by the concerned aviation authorities.

For now, rescue teams and district officials remain engaged in the operation, while the state government is monitoring developments. Further official confirmation regarding the condition and identities of all those on board is awaited.