Six Chardham devotees returning from Badrinath Shrine had a narrow escape on Wednesday when the helicopter they were on board had to make an emergency landing on a farmland due to a technical snag. Passengers were safe even though the rear part of the heli sustained substantial damage.
According to information shared by local police, the helicopter belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation Company experienced a technical snag over the Chamba-Arakot area during its return sortie from Badrinath to Dehradun this morning. Although Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) officials remained tight-lipped a police official from Tehri anonymously informed that the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing because its rear end contacted a high-tension power line.
The helicopter carrying six devotees, including the pilot, landed safely on the farmland in Satya-Saklana Village near Chamba. All the passengers were taken out of the flying machine.
“The helicopter was flying back to Dehradun from Badrinath when the incident occurred. Its tail end sustained substantial damage as the helicopter came in contact with high-tension power line while flying low between the high hills.
Teams of local police and administration were immediately rushed to the spot as the massage about the incident was flashed by the disaster management department. Apart from the police and local administration teams, officials from other departments arrived at the scene to assess the situation and ensure the safety of the devotees and the pilot.
As the district administration and concerned agencies have begun an inquiry into the incident. The Tehri Police appealed to people not to rely on unverified and misleading information regarding the helicopter mishap, but only on official information. UCADA Chief Executive Officer Dr Ashish Chauhan told the media that the emergency landing was being investigated. He added, however, that the initial probe revealed the helicopter had to make an emergency landing due to strong winds that made flying difficult.