Kedarnath helicopter crash: Maharashtra couple, toddler die; son survives by staying back

Hindustan Times

15-06-2025

Among the seven who died in the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag on Sunday was a family from Maharashtra's Yavatmal, in which a couple and their two-year-old daughter were on the ill-fated chopper while their son reportedly survived the tragedy as he stayed back with his grandfather.
Seven people who were travelling on the helicopter to the Kedarnath shrine were died in the crash that took place early Sunday in the forests of Gaurikund in Rudraprayag amid poor visibility.
The members of the family from Yavatmal were identified as Rajkumar Jaiswal, a transport businessman, his wife Shraddha, and their two-year-old daughter Kashi, news agency PTI quoted former Wani MLA Vishvas Nandekar as saying.
Jaiswal along with his family members had left from Wani in Yavatmal on June 12 to visit the Kedarnath temple.
The couple's son, Vivaan, survived the tragedy as he had stayed back with his grandfather in Maharashtra's Pandharkawda and did not accompany the family on the trip, according to a News18 report.
The pilot of he helicopter, Rajveer Singh Chauhan, and a member of the Badrinath-Uttarakhand temple trust, Vikram Singh Rawat, were also killed besides Uttar Pradesh's Vinood Devi (66) and Tushti Singh (19).
According to Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar, zero visibility caused by bad weather apparently led to the crash.
The Civil Aviation Ministry said the accident will be investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
Helicopter services on the Chardham yatra route were suspended for two days on Sunday in the wake of the crash of a chopper returning from Kedarnath, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced.
"There were 5 passengers, one infant and one crew member on board. The helicopter took off from Guptakashi at 05:10 Hrs and Landed at Shri Kedarnath ji Helipad at 05:18 hrs. Helicopter took off again at 05:19 hrs for Guptkanshi and crashed near Gaurikund," an official statement said.
The helicopter crash comes days after an Air India flight to London crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and several others on the ground.
Earlier, on May 8, a helicopter going to Gangotri Dham crashed in Uttarkashi district in which six people were killed.
On June 7, a helicopter going to Kedarnath had to make an emergency landing on the road due to a technical fault soon after take-off in which the pilot was injured but the five devotees on board were rescued safely.