Uttarakhand Helicopter Crash: Remains of All Six Victims Recovered, Sent to AIIMS Rishikesh

CHAMOLI, Nov 1: The mortal remains of all six people killed in a helicopter crash near Joshimath in Uttarakhand were recovered and transported to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, on Sunday morning, the Chamoli district administration said.

The helicopter crashed on Friday on a hillside near Chai village in Joshimath while returning to Dehradun from the Badrinath shrine.

Following the recovery operation, the bodies were initially brought by road to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Joshimath. After the completion of necessary formalities, they were airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh for further procedures, officials said.

The district administration confirmed that personnel from the Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, Forest Department and local administration worked together to complete the rescue mission.

According to an official statement issued on Sunday, rescue personnel retrieved all six bodies on foot while navigating difficult mountain trails in the remote and high-altitude region.

The challenging geographical conditions, inaccessible location and difficult terrain significantly hampered the operation, requiring extensive coordination among multiple emergency response agencies.

The search and rescue mission began on Friday, shortly after the helicopter went down. However, the teams required more than 24 hours to recover all the victims due to the rugged landscape and limited accessibility of the crash site.

The district administration said coordinated efforts by the participating agencies ensured that the operation was completed despite the difficult conditions.

The recovery of all six bodies marks the conclusion of the search operation following the tragic accident near Joshimath.