A helicopter carrying six people crashed in Uttarakhand on Oct. 30, with Reuters reporting all aboard died as India's aviation ministry said rescue teams were still working.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation identified the aircraft as an AS350B3 operated by Transbharat Aviation Pvt Ltd and registered VT-HCX. The aircraft left Badrinath bound for Dehradun’s Sahastradhara helipad, carrying a pilot and five passengers, the ministry said.
Reuters reported that all six people died, citing ANI's account of a statement by Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) chief executive Prateek Jain. The ministry's release did not give a casualty count.
UCADA said the helicopter's communications and tracking were lost while it was over Joshimath valley, Reuters reported. Reuters also reported that Transbharat grounded its fleet as a precaution. The ministry did not state a cause for the crash.
The ministry said responders had found the wreckage and rescue efforts continued. It said a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) team had been sent to Dehradun for a preliminary review and regulatory assessment.
