Dehradun: Seven people including a small child were killed Sunday in India when a helicopter ferring Hindu pilgrims from a shrine crashed into the Himalayas, officials said.
The deadly accident comes as relatives mourn at least 279 people killed when a passenger plane threw into a residential area in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The helicopter crash left the pilot, and all six passengers died when their chopper came down during the flight from the Kedarnath Temple, in the Uttarakhand -State, told disaster -respons -Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar told AFP.
State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue teams had been sent to the stage after the “very sad news”.
The accident was probably caused by bad weather, according to district tourism official Rahul Chaubey.
Pilgrims flock to the Kedarnath Temple during the summer, when it is possible to access the place at an altitude of 3,584 meters (11,759 feet).
A hut industry with helicopter charter companies has evolved to serve wealthy pilgrims who want to visit the shrines of the Indian Himalayas but prefer to avoid difficult hiking.
Six people were killed last month in another helicopter accident along the way to the shrine.
