Helicopter falls into Mandakini river after detaching from MI-17 chopper

A helicopter being transported by an MI-17 helicopter crashed into the Mandakini River on Saturday morning after becoming detached during flight. The incident occurred near Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand.

The MI-17, operated by the Indian Army, was tasked with transporting a damaged helicopter to Gauchar airstrip for repairs. However, shortly after takeoff, the MI-17 lost balance due to the combined effects of the helicopter's weight and strong winds. This led to the detached helicopter falling through the hills and landing in the Mandakini River.

Visuals captured by onlookers showed the helicopter slipping away before plunging into the river. There were no passengers or cargo on board the helicopter at the time of the incident. The District Tourism Officer, Rahul Chaubey, confirmed that the helicopter had been involved in a previous accident on May 24, which caused damage during an emergency landing in Kedarnath Dham. At that time, the helicopter had six passengers onboard but no fatalities were reported.