Latest news with #KalaSoni
Time of India
09-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Mechanical fault, human error or weather change?: What caused chopper crash in Gangotri that killed 5 Char Dham pilgrims & pilot
A helicopter crash near Gangotri shrine has claimed the lives of five passengers and the pilot, prompting an inquiry by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. The Bell 407, operated by Aero Trans Service, crashed shortly after taking off from Kharsali. DEHRADUN: The aircraft accident investigation bureau, under directions from DGCA, has launched an inquiry into what caused the fatal crash of a helicopter ferrying six passengers to Gangotri shrine on Thursday. Whether it was mechanical failure, human error, or a sudden change in weather will be central to the probe. Five passengers and the pilot were killed. Among the six victims were Dr Kala Soni, 61, and Ruchi Agarwal, 56, both residents of Powai; and Ruchi's mother, Radha Agarwal, 79, originally from Bareilly, who had been staying with her daughter in Powai. The aircraft was piloted by Captain Robin Singh, 60, a seasoned flyer from Gujarat. Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said India foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so far The helicopter, a Bell 407 operated by Ahmedabad-based Aero Trans Service Pvt Ltd, began its journey at Sahastradhara helipad in Dehradun early on Thursday morning. It dropped off a group of pilgrims at Kharsali near Yamunotri. After refuelling and preparing for the next phase, it lifted off from Kharsali with its second batch of passengers — bound for Harsil, from where pilgrims are taken to the Gangotri shrine. The crash happened at a time when the India Meteorological Department had issued a weather alert for May 7 and 8 in Uttarkashi district. However, what happened between take-off and the crash is still unclear. Initial accounts suggest the aircraft, nearing Harsil, veered off course and lost altitude suddenly. It struck the hillside near the Gangnani Nagraja temple and tumbled down an almost 250-metre gorge. Within minutes of the crash, villagers, many of whom had seen or heard the impact, alerted authorities. Personnel from the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Uttarkashi police soon reached the site for a rescue operation. Two helicopters stood by at Bhatwari helipad, which had been activated immediately for emergency use. Vinod Kumar Suman, secretary of disaster management and rehabilitation, said that the state's emergency operations centre used geolocation data to pinpoint the crash site. Aero Trans Service Pvt Ltd, which owns the chopper, operates two Bell helicopters and one Cessna aircraft as per its website. The company has not released a statement. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami issued a message of condolence and instructed district officials to extend full support to the victims' families. But beyond official reactions, the crash has raised fresh alarm over the risks of chopper travel in the Himalayas, particularly during the highpressure Char Dham season, when demand surges and there are virtually back-to-back sorties throughout the day.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Environmentalists, MP's sis, caregiver & mom: 5 pilgrims who perished in crash were women
Mumbai/Bareilly/Tirupati: Long before their lives ended together on a hillside in Uttarkashi, three women in Powai had spent years building separate but quietly intersecting lives — rooted in care, community, and the kind of civic action that rarely seeks credit. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As the helicopter they boarded for Gangotri failed to return, Dr Kala Soni, Vijaya Reddy, Ruchi Agarwal, and her mother Radha Agarwal became names in a tragedy that spread across three states. But they had not set out to become stories. They had simply lived them. Dr Kala Soni, 61, and Vijaya Reddy, 57, weren't only neighbours in Hiranandani Gardens. They had co-founded the , a grassroots initiative that ran tree plantations, taught children to reuse plastic, and turned religious festivals into ecological lessons. Their work wasn't always visible, but its effects were — in the saplings outside school gates, the recycled Ganesha idols, the quiet network of women-led organising in the neighbourhood. Reddy, a yoga instructor by practice and temperament, had started free Zoom sessions during the pandemic for recovering Covid patients. She didn't just teach pranayama — she listened, answered late-night queries, stayed in touch. Her WhatsApp group was never dormant. The air of calm she carried had less to do with breathing techniques and more to do with how she chose to live. Ruchi Agarwal, 56, an engineer, had left behind a job in Pune to care for her mother. The arrangement was never discussed. Radha Agarwal, 79, had moved from Bareilly to Mumbai when her health declined, and Ruchi simply restructured her days. Radha had once been the centre of her own household, raising three daughters with quiet precision. Independence mattered to her, even when it was no longer fully possible. Ruchi respected that. Together, they shared space and silence easily. Earlier this year, Radha returned to her home in Alamgiriganj, Bareilly, insisting on doing things herself. She wiped down shelves, checked on gas fittings, and told neighbours she'd be back after the yatra. To her sister-in-law Neeru, she said, "Who knows if we'll meet again?" It didn't land as foreshadowing then. Their final journey began as part of the , a route through Uttarakhand's high-altitude shrines. Like many older or physically strained pilgrims, they had opted for a helicopter service to shorten the climb. The flight was brief. The crash that followed near Kedarnath killed six people. Only one Kumari, 48, a native of Ramnagar in Anantapur and sister of TDP MP Ambica G Lakshminarayana, also died. She had been travelling with her husband, Maktur Bhaskar, 51, who survived with serious injuries and remained in critical care at AIIMS Rishikesh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In her hometown, relatives and neighbours prepared for her body's return. In Powai, the news travelled fast. Elsie Gabriel, who founded the Young Environmentalist Programme Trust, said the loss struck at the very root of what they'd tried to build. "These weren't women who just showed up," she said. "They were the ones who stayed late, who reminded you why you were doing it in the first place." Photographer Mukesh Trivedi, who had often seen the women at local events, said it felt as if something in the fabric of the community had been cut. "They were constant," he said. "You took their presence for granted."
