Indian helicopter crash kills seven pilgrims
Seven people including a toddler were killed when a helicopter ferrying Hindu pilgrims from a shrine crashed in the Himalayas on Sunday.
The fatal incident comes just three days after 279 people were killed when a passenger plane slammed into a residential area in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The pilot and all six passengers died when the helicopter came down during the flight from Kedarnath temple, in Uttarakhand state, according to Nandan Singh Rajwar, a disaster response official.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, the state's chief minister, said rescue teams had been dispatched to the scene after the 'very sad news'.
The crash was likely caused by bad weather, according to Rahul Chaubey, the district tourism official.
Pilgrims flock to Kedarnath temple during the summer when it is possible to access the site, which stands at an altitude of 3,584 metres (11,759 feet).
A cottage industry of helicopter charter firms has developed to serve wealthy pilgrims who want to visit shrines in the Indian Himalayas, but who prefer to avoid arduous trekking.
Six people were killed last month in another helicopter crash en route to the shrine.
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