Indian mountain helicopter crash kills 6

New Delhi, Oct 30 (EFE).- Six people were killed Friday when a helicopter crashed in a mountainous area of northern India’s Uttarakhand state after losing contact with air traffic authorities while flying over the Chamoli district, officials said.

«We received the unfortunate news that a helicopter crashed near the village of Chai (…) The district administration, disaster management department and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are conducting a joint rescue operation,» Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on X.

The aircraft, operated by private company Trans Bharat Aviation, was carrying five passengers and a pilot, according to civil aviation authorities.

All six died in the crash, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) chief executive Prateek Jain told ANI news agency.

According to UCADA, the helicopter took off at 1:14 p.m. local time (7:44 GMT), bound for the Sahastradhara helipad.

Its tracking and communication systems lost signal minutes later as it flew over the Joshimath valley in Chamoli district.

After a large column of smoke was spotted near a military camp, authorities deployed ground teams from the army and the SDRF, as well as several helicopters, to conduct search operations.

Authorities have ordered the temporary grounding of Trans Bharat Aviation’s entire fleet as investigations continue into the cause of the crash. EFE

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