Child, 2, among seven people killed in India helicopter crash

Another aviation disaster has struck in India after a helicopter carrying pilgrims crashed into a mountainside.

Seven people died when the Bell 407 helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims to Guptkashi in the far northern Indian district of Uttarakhand crashed within minutes after takeoff.

A two-year-old child is thought to have been among the victims.

The chopper incident today is the latest aviation incident to hit the country, just days after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, which killed all but one of the 242 people on board and dozens more on the ground.

The pilgrims were on their way to the town, which is a key holy site in the foothills of the Himalayas, from a nearby Kedarnath temple when something went wrong.

It plunged into a forested area several miles from the pilgrimage route in Gaurikund at about 5.30am local time.

The helicopter was operated by Aryan Aviation, a private chopper service, according to Sky News.

Poor weather may have contributed to the crash, officials believe.

Among the dead are the pilot and pilgrims from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The pilot had served in the Indian Army for more than 15 and he had experience of flying in different terrains, it is understood.

Their bodies were burned beyond recognition in a fire following the crash, officials said.

Helicopter rides are a popular way to reach the pilgrim destinations in the area.

The district’s civil aviation department said: ‘At around 5am, we got the information that a helicopter, which was going from Shri Kedarnath Dham, could not be located.’

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