New Delhi. A helicopter crashed today near Joshimath in Uttarakhand. This helicopter was going from Badrinath to Dehradun which went missing on the way. There was a pilot and five other passengers in this chopper, all 6 people died in the accident. According to Chamoli district administration, the helicopter was missing in the 'Hathi Parvat' area near Joshimath. After the helicopter went missing, smoke was seen rising near Chai village in Joshimath. Teams of the Indian Army, Chamoli district administration and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed in search and rescue operations, following which the debris of the helicopter was found.
VIDEO | Uttarakhand: A helicopter traveling from Badrinath to Dehradun has been reported missing. The helicopter is reportedly operated by Charlie X-ray Company. According to information, six people, including five passengers and a pilot, were on board. The helicopter reported missing in the vicinity of Hathi Parvat near Joshimath. Two other choppers have been pressed into service to locate the missing helicopter. #Uttarakhand #UttarakhandNews #Chamoli (Source: Third Party) (Full video available on PTI Videos –
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 30, 2026
The call sign of this helicopter of Trans Bharat Aviation Private Limited is VT-HCX. This helicopter was being flown by Captain Himanshu while Pratap, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudhir K and HS Nataraj were on board the helicopter. All of them were pilgrims who were returning after visiting Badrinath Dham. Chamoli Police has confirmed the death of all these 6 people. All the bodies have been recovered. A lot of effort is required to bring the dead bodies from the accident site to the road.
Taking cognizance of the incident, State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said, unfortunate information has been received about a helicopter crash near Chai village, Joshimath. The rescue operation is being conducted jointly by the District Administration, Disaster Management Department, SDRF. I myself am continuously monitoring the entire incident.