Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], October 30 (ANI): Two teams comprising police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Army personnel have been deployed from Pandukeshwar and Joshimath to search for a missing helicopter carrying six people, including a pilot and five passengers, Chamoli Superintendent of Police (SP) Surjeet Singh Panwar said on Friday.
In a self-recorded video statement, Panwar said the Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter took off from the Badrinath civil helipad for Sahastradhara helipad on October 30 at approximately 1:12 PM. Its transmission link with the radar was lost near Joshimath at 1:14 PM.
“A helicopter belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation took off from the Badrinath civil helipad, bound for the Sahastradhara helipad, today, October 30, at approximately 1:12 PM. At 1:14 PM, its transmission link with the radar was lost near Joshimath,” he said.
According to the SP, personnel at a nearby Army post reported seeing the helicopter heading into the valley, approximately one kilometre above the Bhandakand Temple near Pandukeshwar.
“According to personnel at a nearby Army post, the helicopter was observed heading into the valley, about 1 kilometre above the Bhandakand Temple near Pandukeshwar.
“Search and rescue operations are currently underway,” Panwar said, adding that a drone had also been deployed from Gopeshwar to assist in the operation. We have dispatched two teams—one from the direction of Pandukeshwar and the other from Joshimath—comprising police, SDRF, and Army personnel. Search and rescue operations are currently underway,” he said.
He added that the helicopter was carrying pilot Himanshu Sabharwal, a resident of Delhi, along with five passengers from Karnataka.
“The helicopter was carrying a pilot, Himanshu Sabharwal from Delhi, along with five passengers from Karnataka. A comprehensive search is being conducted. A drone has also been deployed from Gopeshwar to assist in the search and rescue efforts. We will provide updates as soon as any preliminary information becomes available,” he added.
Speaking about the incident, Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Anand Swaroop said the helicopter lost contact at around 2 PM on Friday, and its current location remained unknown.
“Around 2:00 PM today, a chartered helicopter—carrying five people from Bengaluru and a pilot—lost contact near Marwari, above Joshimath. The UKADA (Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority) has reported that contact with the aircraft has been severed, and its current whereabouts are unknown; it is effectively missing,” he said.
He added that the SDRF and other relevant teams had been deployed to initiate search operations and that assistance from the Army was also being sought.
“The SDRF and other relevant teams have been deployed, and the assistance of the Army is also being sought,” he added.
Meanwhile, immediate relief and rescue operations have been launched following a crash involving a Trans Bharat civilian helicopter in the Hathi Parvat region while en route from Shri Badrinath Dham to the Sahastradhara helipad.
Taking immediate cognisance of the incident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed concerned officials to conduct search and rescue operations on a war footing and ensure the deployment of all available resources. Following the Chief Minister’s directives, teams from the SDRF, Indian Army, ITBP, NDRF, local police, and the district administration have been dispatched to the site.
An intensive ground and aerial search operation is underway to reach the location and trace the passengers on board. The Chief Minister is personally monitoring the entire operation continuously. (ANI)
“Dispatched two teams”: SP Surjeet Singh Panwar on missing helicopter in Uttarakhand
