This Tuesday morning, October 18, 2022, a helicopter crashed into the Himalayas causing the deaths of seven people on board.
Seven people died Tuesday in a helicopter crash carrying Hindu pilgrims in India’s Himalayas.
The accident site is near the shrine
The pilot and six Hindu pilgrims on board were returning from the Kedarnath temple when the helicopter crashed, Nandan Singh Rajwar, an emergency response officer, told AFP from the crash site. The Kedarnath Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, is located at 3,584 meters above sea level, in the state of Uttarakhand (north) which is frequented by pilgrims from all over the country during summer which makes it more accessible.
The cause of the accident has not yet been determined
The cause of the disaster has not been determined, Rajwar said. India’s Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Twitter that the crash was “very unfortunate” and that his ministry “determines the casualty level”. The Kedarnath Temple is one of the many Hindu temples dotted in the high elevations of the Indian Himalayas, sometimes a few hours’ walk from either road. Helicopter rental companies sprang up there to take wealthy pilgrims to religious sites.
