Chopper crash : Engineer killed & pilots injured in Badrinath

A helicopter carrying pilgrims crashed soon after take-off from the Himalayan shrine of Badrinath in Uttarakhand today, killing a crew member and injuring two pilots.

All the five passengers were reportedly safe. An official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in Delhi said that an engineer, who was part of the crew, died in the mishap while the two pilots suffered injuries. Chamoli Superintendent of Police Tripti Bhatt said on the phone that the engineer was hit by rotor blades.

The Agusta 119 helicopter, belonging to Mumbai-based private operator Krestal Aviation, met with an accident just after take-off around 0745 hrs, the DGCA official said. The helicopter was on its way from Badrinath to Haridwar.