6 killed as helicopter on way to Gangotri temple crashes
Uttarkashi (U'khand), May 8 (PTI): A helicopter on its way to the Gangotri temple crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on Thursday, killing six people, including the pilot, and leaving a man seriously injured, officials said.
Barring the pilot, who hailed from Gujarat's Vadodara, the five other deceased were women.
The lone survivor of the crash was Maktur Bhaskar (51), a resident of Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh, Uttarkashi's Superintendent of Police (SP) Sarita Dobhal said.
Bhaskar, who sustained serious injuries, was brought in an air ambulance from the crash site to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh for treatment. His wife, Vedanti (48), was also among the dead.
The helicopter of a private company, with seven people on board, crashed over the Rishikesh-Gangotri national highway at around 8:45 am and fell into a gorge about 200-250 metres deep, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said.
The helicopter had left the Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun for the Kharsali helipad. It was on its way to Gangotri from there when it crashed, an official said.
District Magistrate Meharban Singh Bisht said six people died on the spot. One of the passengers on the helicopter -- M Bhaskar (51) from Andhra Pradesh -- was seriously injured in the crash and was airlifted to the AIIMS, Rishikesh, the DM added.
Three on board the helicopter were from Mumbai, two from Andhra Pradesh and one each was from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
Those killed were identified as Kala Chandrakant Soni (61), Vijaya Lakshmi Reddy (57), Ruchi Agrawal (56), Radha Agrawal (79), Vedanti (48) and Captain Robin Singh (60), the pilot.
The SP said it took hours to extract the bodies from the remains of the helicopter, pull those out of the gorge and up to the road. The bodies were sent to the Uttarkashi district hospital for post mortem.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.
The administration has been instructed to provide all possible help to the injured and investigate the accident, he said, adding that he is constantly in touch with officials and monitoring the situation.
Officials said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the crash.
A Bell helicopter of AeroTrans Services Private Limited was involved in the crash.
According to information available on aviation regulator DGCA's website, AeroTrans Services has two Bell helicopters and one Cessna aircraft.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
