Overview
- A Trans Bharat helicopter carrying one pilot and five passengers lost contact and is reported to have crashed near Chayee/Chai village above Joshimath on Friday, October 30, 2026.
- State and central agencies launched a joint rescue operation that deployed SDRF and NDRF teams, local police, the district administration and additional helicopters to locate the aircraft.
- Search teams have reported visuals of debris in the area but have not confirmed the exact wreckage site or whether anyone on board was killed or injured.
- Officials say heavy rain, dense cloud cover and snowfall have severely hampered aerial and ground searches, and the chief minister ordered that any seriously hurt be airlifted to higher medical centres.
- The Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority and a military unit tracked the helicopter near an army camp above Chai village, and formal accident investigation and casualty confirmation are pending.