Rescuers on Saturday faced a challenging task in their efforts to recover the bodies of the six people killed in the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath as they had to trek through difficult terrain, officials said.
On Saturday, teams from DGCA and AAIB reached Joshimath and spoke to locals about the incident. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that orders have been issued to investigate and determine the exact cause of the accident. Officials added that teams from the Indian Army, ITBP, SDRF, district administration, police, NDRF and the Forest Department have reached the site.
A rescue official said it could take several hours to reach the road.
On Sunday, teams from Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), DGCA along with officials from UCADA will reach the crash site near Chai village in Joshimath and collect details as part of the investigation into the accident. “The rescue teams are working with the utmost urgency. The administration’s objective is to safely recover the mortal remains of all six victims and transport them to Joshimath.
To this end, the district administration is continuously monitoring the operation and providing all necessary support and resources,” he said. When asked about permission for flying despite an alert issued by IMD, Jain said, “We had also issued an advisory but that is in the scope of investigation now.”
