Katra: A helicopter flying pilgrims from Vishno Devi temple in Katra region of Jammu Division crashed on Monday afternoon, killing seven people including the pilot.
Official sources said that the helicopter belonged to a company that operates flights to Vaishno Devi temple.
Eyewitnesses said that soon after the crash rescuers reached the site and recovered the bodies of the six pilgrims and the pilot.
When contacted Inspector General of Police Jammu Zone, Danish Rana told CNS that the accident took place at around 12.30 pm on Monday. It crashed soon after taking off. The chopper was being flown by a lady pilot. The reason for the crash is under investigation adding that the technical fault might also have led to the accident.
Officials identified the deceased Arjun Kumar, Mahesh Vir, Vandana, Amritpal Singh, Sachin Kumar, Ashima, and Pilot-Sunita Vijayn.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, expressed grief over the incident. In his message of condolence, Mufti Sayeed expressed solidarity with the families of the deceased persons and prayed to Almighty to give them courage to bear this irreparable loss. He also prayed for peace to the departed souls.
In her message Mehbooba Mufti said chopper service providers, operating on various pilgrims and tourist destinations in J&K, should put in place an effective mechanism to avert such tragedies in future.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
