A helicopter carrying five Hindu pilgrims and its pilot crashed on Friday 30 October 2026 near Chayee village close to Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, officials said. The aircraft had taken off from the pilgrimage town of Badrinath around 1:14 p.m. local time amid snowfall and lost contact near the Hathi Parvat area, and smoke was seen rising from the crash site.
All six passengers and the pilot are feared dead, Xinhua reported. A joint rescue operation involving the district administration, the Disaster Management Department and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been launched, with an additional helicopter deployed to conduct an aerial search, the source added.
BBC News, covering the incident hours later, stated that the condition of those on board was unknown. The differing accounts reflect the evolving situation, with Xinhua’s statement indicating a feared death toll while BBC reports that the status remains unconfirmed.
Earlier in June 2025, a helicopter carrying pilgrims crashed on the same pilgrimage route near Kedarnath, killing seven people. That tragedy is being referenced in current comments on the dangers of flying in the high Himalayas.
