Rudraprayag: A helicopter ferrying pilgrims back from the Kedarnath temple crashed on Tuesday amid poor visibility, killing all seven people onboard.
The chopper burst into flames close to Garud Chatti and Jungle Chatti, killing six pilgrims and the pilot, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh said.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief and ordered a detailed inquiry into the crash.
PM Modi said that he was anguished by the helicopter crash and said that his thoughts were with the bereaved families.
President Droupadi Murmu also condoled the death of pilgrims and the pilot. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, she said.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said his ministry is constantly monitoring the situation.
“The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate. We are in touch with the state government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss, and are constantly monitoring the situation,” he said in a tweet.
