BENGALURU: Five people from Bengaluru, including a police officer and a lawyer, are believed to have died after a helicopter, which was flying from Badrinath to Sahastradhara in Dehradun, went missing on Friday.
Those who were in the helicopter included Capt. Himanshu, passengers Pratapa B N, police inspectpr Arun Salunke, V B Shankare Gowda, lawyer Sudheer K and H S Nataraj of Huliyurudurga in Tumakuru district, who was head of the Vidyabharati Education Institution.
Police Inspector Arun Salunke, who was working in the CCB technical wing, had gone on the Char Dham trip with friends and family members three days ago. He has two children and the family was living in Ramamurthy Nagar. He was earlier posted in Banasawadi.
Pratap, a civil contractor, was living in a villa in Bengaluru along with his parents. No one was there at the Bengaluru residence as the family members had gone to Sakleshpur three days ago. Pratap has two sons. and the government has conveyed the information to the family members.
Uttarakhand: A helicopter carrying six people has reportedly crashed near Joshimath, Chamoli district, while travelling from Badrinath towards Dehradun.
Rescue operations are underway. Prayers for everyone’s safety. 🙏
#Uttarakhand #BreakingNews https://t.co/ORiNeHSFgm
— Crow Dhillon 🦢 (@CrowDhillon8) October 30, 2026
Meanwhile, the Indian Army, Chamoli district administration and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been mobilised for a search and rescue operation after a Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter carrying six people went missing while flying from Badrinath to Sahastradhara in Dehradun on Friday, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) Chief Executive Officer Prateek Jain said.
#WATCH | Dehradun | Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), Prateek Jain says, “A helicopter belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation departed from Badrinath for the Sahastradhara heliport at 1:14 PM. We have been unable to trace the helicopter’s location since it was passing through the vicinity of the Joshimath valley. Upon receiving this information, we mobilised the Chamoli district administration, the SDRF (State Disaster Response Force), and an Army unit to the area near the incident site to prepare for a proper rescue operation. As a precautionary measure, the entire fleet of helicopters belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation has been grounded…According to initial information, there were 6 people on board—the pilot plus 5 others. We will share further details once we have confirmation…”
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2026
The helicopter, bearing call sign VT-HCX, took off at approximately 1.14 pm and lost communication while passing through the Joshimath valley. Its tracking system also stopped receiving its location, and the aircraft’s current whereabouts could not be ascertained, according to UCADA.
“A helicopter belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation departed from Badrinath for the Sahastradhara heliport at 1.14 pm. We have been unable to trace the helicopter’s location since it was passing through the vicinity of the Joshimath valley”, Jain said, adding that teams had been mobilised to the area near the incident site to prepare for a rescue operation.
As a precautionary measure, the entire fleet of helicopters belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation Pvt. Ltd. has been grounded. Jain said further details would be shared once confirmed. “As a precautionary measure, the entire fleet of helicopters belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation has been grounded…According to initial information, there were 6 people on board—the pilot plus 5 others. We will share further details once we have confirmation,” he added.
At 14:21 hours, information was received from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Joshimath, regarding a possible crash landing above Chai village in the Joshimath area.
#WATCH | Helicopter crash near Joshimath | Divisional Commissioner of the Garhwal division, Anand Swaroop, says, “Around 2:00 PM today, a chartered helicopter—carrying five people from Bengaluru and a pilot—lost contact near Marwari, above Joshimath. The UKADA (Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority) has reported that contact with the aircraft has been severed, and its current whereabouts are unknown; it is effectively missing. The SDRF and other relevant teams have been deployed, and the assistance of the Army is also being sought”
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2026
Sub-Inspector Manohar Kanyal of Joshimath Post said UCADA officials had informed them that the helicopter’s location was showing near the Army Camp above Chai village. However, complete details regarding the crash or crash landing were not yet available.
The Chamoli district administration said smoke was seen rising near Chai village following the disappearance of the helicopter. A team from the administration was searching the area, while an aerial search team was also deployed using another helicopter to locate the missing aircraft.
According to UCADA, six people were on board, including pilot Captain Himanshu and five passengers identified as Prathap, Arun Salunke, Shankar Gowda, Sudhir K and H S Nataraj. The helicopter was operating from Badrinath to Sahastradhara heliport in Dehradun when it lost contact over the Joshimath valley.
