Seven injured as helicopter crash-lands near Vaishnodevi

Seven people, including a pilot, were injured when a Pawan Hans helicopter carrying Vaishnodevi pilgrims, made an emergency landing in Trikuta hills in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir following a technical fault detected soon after take-off.

A Pawan Hans helicopter with 6 pilgrims was returning from Sanjtichat-based helipad and made an emergency landing at Salal-Dabri after the pilot detected a technical snag after take-off, said Jagjeet Kumar, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Udhampur-Reasi range.

During the emergency landing, the helicopter tilted due to non-availability of proper space resulting in injuries of seven, including six pilgrims, the DIG said.

Technical snag

A Pawan Hans official in Delhi said the pilot detected the technical fault in the engine and made a “precautionary landing” at Katra.

Police teams were rushed to the spot from Bhawan and Katra belts and the injured have been admitted to hospital.

The pilot was identified as Col A Parmar.Katra is a small town situated in the foothills of the Trikuta Mountains where the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi is located.Over one crore pilgrims visit cave shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi annually.

Pawan Hans and Global Victra helicopter services are ferrying pilgrims between Sanjichat-based helipad and Katra base camp daily.