NEW DELHI, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter carrying six people, a pilot and five Hindu pilgrims, crashed Friday in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, officials said, adding that all six are feared dead.
The helicopter crashed near Chayee village close to Joshimath in Chamoli district, about 290 km northeast of Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand.
A joint rescue operation is being conducted by the district administration, disaster management department, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a statement posted on social media.
According to officials, the helicopter took off from Badrinath, a Hindu pilgrimage town, around 1:14 p.m. (local time) amid snowfall and lost contact near the Hathi Parvat area.
Immediately after the aircraft went missing, authorities have deployed another helicopter to conduct an aerial search.
Reports said smoke was seen rising from the area following the crash. ■