Dehradun: Seven people, including a toddler, were killed on Sunday in India when a helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims from a sanctuary crashed into Himalayas, officials said.
The fatal accident occurs while mourning relatives at least 279 people killed when a passenger plane collapsed Thursday in a residential area of the western city in Ahmedabad.
The helicopter accident left the pilot and the six passengers who died when their helicopter came down during the flight from the Kedarnath temple, in the state of the Uttarakhand, the responsible for the response to the Nandan Singh Rajwar disasters said AFP.
The chief minister of the state, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said that the rescue teams had been sent to the scene after the “very sad news”.
The accident was probably caused by bad weather, according to the district tourism manager Rahul Chaubey.
Pilgrims flock to the Kedarnath temple during the summer when it is possible to access the site, which is at an altitude of 3,584 meters (11,759 feet).
A cottage industry of companies with helicopter charter has developed to serve rich pilgrims who wish to visit sanctuaries in the Indian Himalayas, but who prefer to avoid arduous trekking.
Six people were killed last month in another helicopter accident en route to the sanctuary.
