Helicopter with six on board crashes near Joshimath after taking off from Badrinath; search and rescue under way
The AS350 B3 helicopter operated by Transbharat Aviation was flying to Dehradun with a pilot and five passengers. The wreckage has been found and DGCA has sent a team.
A helicopter carrying a pilot and five passengers crashed in a forest area near Chai village, close to Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, on Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.
This is a developing story. The details below are from the ministry's statement issued at 9:11 pm on 30 October. We will update this report as official information becomes available.
What we know
According to the ministry:
- The helicopter, registration VT-HCX, is an AS350 B3 operated by the private company Transbharat Aviation Pvt Ltd.
- It took off from the Badrinath helipad at 1:14 pm and was flying to the Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun.
- There were six people on board: one pilot and five passengers.
- The wreckage has been located, and search and rescue operations are in progress.
- A team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been sent to Dehradun to carry out a preliminary assessment.
The ministry's statement did not give information on the condition of those on board. Think Today News is not reporting casualty figures until they are confirmed by official sources.
The route
Badrinath, one of the four Char Dham shrines, sits at about 3,300 metres in the Garhwal Himalaya. Helicopter services connect the shrine towns with Dehradun and other bases, especially during the pilgrimage season, which typically runs from late April or May until the shrines close for winter in October or November.
The flight path from Badrinath to Dehradun runs through narrow river valleys and high ridges where weather can change quickly. Mountain flying of this kind is considered among the most demanding in civil aviation.
The aircraft type
The AS350 B3, made by Airbus Helicopters, is a single-engine light helicopter designed for high-altitude operations. It is widely used for passenger shuttles, tourism and rescue work in mountainous regions, including in Uttarakhand.
How crashes are investigated
In India, the DGCA is the aviation safety regulator. Serious accidents are investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which works independently of the regulator. Its job is to find the cause and recommend measures to prevent a repeat, not to assign blame. Final AAIB reports can take months.
Helicopter operations in the Char Dham region have come under increased scrutiny in recent years after several accidents. The regulator has previously tightened rules on weather checks, pilot experience and the number of daily flights in the area.
For families seeking information
People looking for information about passengers should contact the Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force, the Chamoli district administration, or the operator. The national emergency number is 112.
Correction, 31 October 2026: An earlier version of this story said the crash happened on Thursday. It happened on Friday, 30 October.
Sources
Spotted an error? Write to dileep@zentixservices.com. Read our corrections policy.
