JOIN USA private helicopter on its way to Kedarnath area in flood-hit Uttarakhand crashed on Wednesday in bad weather after apparently hitting a mountain, killing two persons including the pilot.
This is the third chopper accident in over a month in Uttarakhand during relief operations.
Besides the pilot Capt Jagjit Singh Dhaliwal, a technician Abhay Ranjan on board the chopper was killed when the helicopter crashed while taking off from Garurchatti in Rudraprayag for Kedarnath, Uttarakhand DGP Satyavrat Bansal said.
Two helicopters, belonging to a Delhi-based private company, had been engaged by the Uttarakhand Police for ferrying personnel and rations to a police post in Kedarnath area, he said, adding that one of them crashed.
Bansal said the chopper crashed between 2 pm and 3 pm in bad weather after apparently hitting a mountainside.
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of the kin of the deceased, an official said.
An IAF Mi-17 V5 chopper on a rescue mission had crashed near Guptkashi on June 25, killing all 20 onboard.
A private chopper with relief material had met a similar fate on June 21 in Gaurikund area, leaving the pilot injured.