All seven individuals aboard a helicopter in northern India died early Sunday (June 15) when the aircraft crashed while transporting pilgrims along a well-known Hindu pilgrimage route in Uttarakhand's Himalayan region, according to officials. The helicopter, en route from the Kedarnath shrine to Guptkashi, crashed amid poor weather conditions, said Bansidhar Tripathi, the state’s director-general of information. In response, the Uttarakhand government has suspended all helicopter services to the Kedarnath Valley until Monday.

Tripathi noted that the past six weeks have seen three emergency landings and two crashes on the same route. "Very distressing news has come in about a helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district," Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami shared on X (formerly Twitter). He added that the State Disaster Response Force, local authorities, and rescue teams were actively working on relief efforts.

Dhami also announced an official inquiry into the incident. The investigation will include evaluations of pilots and operators, with future flights restricted to those with substantial experience flying in the high-altitude Himalayan terrain. Helicopter services for the pilgrimage will only resume after consultations with all operating companies, he said. According to India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Bell 407 helicopter operated by Aryan Aviation took off at 5:19 a.m. (7:49 a.m. Singapore time). Aryan Aviation has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of devotees travel to Uttarakhand’s mountains, which are considered sacred as homes to deities like Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Kedarnath is one of the four major sites of the Char Dham Yatra, which also includes Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. In light of the recent incidents, India has scaled back helicopter operations to Char Dham and is increasing monitoring and reviewing protocols for further safety measures, the ministry said.