A helicopter carrying seven people, including pilgrims, had to make an emergency landing in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, early on May 24th due to a technical problem. The incident occurred when the helicopter was attempting to land at the helipad near the Himalayan temple.

The helicopter, operated by Kestrel Aviation, took off from Sirsi and was transporting six passengers along with the pilot to Kedarnath Dham. The emergency landing was conducted a short distance away from the helipad after the pilot detected a technical snag.

District magistrate Dr. Saurabh Gaharwar of Rudraprayag confirmed that all passengers were safe following the incident. He praised the pilot for his calm handling of the situation and successful emergency landing.

Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the technical fault that led to the emergency landing.

This incident comes after a previous safety concern in April 2023, when an official from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority died due to an accident involving a helicopter's tail rotor in Kedarnath. Following that incident, the UCADA had requested the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to establish an air traffic control system in Kedarnath to oversee helicopter operations in the area.

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