A PRIVATELY run helicopter carrying pilgrims from B a d r i n a t h crashed into a hillside in Joshimath in Uttarakhand on an overcast Friday afternoon, killing all six persons on board as it lost contact minutes after it took off for Dehradun, officials said. The bodies of the pilot and the five pilgrims from Karnataka were found in the vicinity of the wreckage in Chai village. But due to darkness and the difficult terrain, the bodies will be brought back from the crash site on Saturday, they added.

 

The IMD had issued an ‘orange alert’ for Chamoli for Friday. It had forecast thunderstorms, lightning, hailstorms, and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40 to 50 km/hour. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the crash and its team has already left for the site, a senior official of the agency said. The pilot was identified as Captain Himanshu Sabharwal (48) from Delhi. The other five deceased are H S Nataraja (51), Sudeer K (50), Arun Salunke (44), Prathapa Bachihalliy Ningarajan (41) and Shankargowda VB (39). Salunke was an inspector of Bengaluru Police’s Central Crime Branch.