New Delhi, October 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday expressed grief over the deaths of six people, including a pilot, in a helicopter crash near Chai village close to Joshimath in Uttarakhand. The helicopter was travelling from Badrinath to Sahastradhara when the accident occurred.
Taking to X, the Congress leader said, “The news of the death of six people in the helicopter crash in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, is deeply saddening.”
“May God grant peace to the departed souls. My heartfelt condolences are with the bereaved families. May the Almighty give them the strength to bear this immense loss,” she added.
Earlier in the day, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat also expressed condolences over the loss of lives and called for an inquiry into the series of aviation accidents reported in the state in recent times.
Speaking to reporters in Dehradun, Rawat said, “This is deeply painful… Along with making our helicopter services competitive, we also need to make them safe and secure. An inquiry will be conducted and improvements will be made based on the probe but this is extremely necessary because one after another, such incidents are happening which are alarming.”
Meanwhile, joint teams of the Uttarakhand Police, the State Disaster Response Force and the Army recovered the bodies of all six people, including the pilot, from the crash site. The teams launched rescue and recovery operations after receiving information about the accident.
Officials said efforts were underway to transport the bodies from the difficult-to-access crash site to a location connected by road.
Police identified the pilot as Capt. Himanshu Sabharwal, a resident of Delhi. The five passengers were identified as Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K. and H.S. Natraja, all from Karnataka.
According to official information, Gowda was an advocate, while Nataraja ran a poultry business in Huliyurdurga in Karnataka.
Officials said there were no women or children aboard the helicopter.
FOLLOW NOW
