THREE of a family from Wani city of Yavatmal district were among those killed in the tragic helicopter crash that took place in Kedarnath on Sunday. The three deceased have been identified as businessman Rajkumar Jaiswal (41), his wife Shraddha Jaiswal (35), and their daughter Kashi (2). As per reports, seven persons were killed after a helicopter crashed near the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand on Sunday. The helicopter took off from Kedarnath for Guptkashi around 5.30 am and crashed soon after above the forests of Gaurikund.Around five pilgrims, the pilot and an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee were among those killed, as per officials.

 

According to the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Authority, the deceased pilgrims include passengers from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Gujarat. Jaiswal along with his wife and daughter had left from Wani on June 12 to visit the Lord Kedarnath temple, as per their family friends. Fortunately his son was saved as he was with his grandfather in Pandharkawada. The crash site is located nearly 5 km above Gaurikund known as Gauri Mai Khark. Sources said the chopper belonging to Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd crashed between Gaurikund and Trijuginarayan in Kedarghati and caught fire. Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said zero visibility caused by bad weather apparently led to the crash.

 

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the helicopter crash, a statement issued by the civil aviation ministry said. It may be mentioned that a year ago, Rajkumar Jaiswal had organised a Kashi Mahashivpuran in the name of his daughter. Thousands of devotees from Maharashtra and other states attended this. Rajkumar Jaiswal was a friendly person and was a pioneer in religious programmes. The chopper crash comes days after an Air India flight to London crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 persons on board and several others on the ground.