Helicopter crash-lands in Kedarnath, nobody hurt

Six pilgrims on board a private helicopter had a narrow escape on Monday when it crash-landed at a helipad close to the Himalayan shrine soon after takeoff.

The light helicopter had taken off for Fata from Kedarnath when it developed a technical snag, an official said.

The pilot then decided to land on the same helipad.

"While making an emergency landing, the helicopter landed rather heavily with one of its tail rotor blades digging into the helipad," Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Harish Chandra Sharma said.

All seven people onboard - the six pilgrims and the pilot - escaped unhurt, he said. They have been examined by doctors.

Monday's crash-landing comes a month after a fatal helicopter crash and another emergency landing in Uttarkashi district.

A helicopter engaged in relief and rescue operations in the rain-ravaged Uttarkashi district crashed on August 21, killing two crew members and a local resident.

Two days later, the two-member crew of another helicopter had a close call in the same district.

It made an emergency landing on the banks of a Nagawada river near Tikochi when it was on the way to Chiwa to distribute relief material.

The helicopter, run by Aryan Aviation, was damaged and the pilot and the co-pilot suffered minor injuries