Five pilgrims from Karnataka and a Delhi-based pilot lost their lives when a helicopter travelling from Badrinath to Dehradun crashed near Joshimath in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand — a tragedy that struck during the sacred Char Dham Yatra. The Chief Minister's Office of Karnataka confirmed the deaths on Friday, 30 October 2026, with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar issuing a personal statement of grief and pledging state support for the bereaved families.

Six lives lost on the Badrinath route

The helicopter went down close to Joshimath, the ancient town in Chamoli district that serves as the last major staging post before Badrinath — one of the four sacred shrines of the Char Dham circuit. Among the dead are Captain Himanshu (the pilot), and five Karnataka passengers: CCB Inspector Arun Salanke, Pratap B. Ningaraju, Shankaragouda V.B., Sudhir K., and H.S. Nataraju. All six perished in the crash.

CM Shivakumar, in Kannada, called the news 'tīvra āghāta hāgu duḥkha' — 'a source of deep shock and grief' — and prayed for the souls of each victim by name. 'May God grant the bereaved families the strength to bear this immense pain,' he said in his statement.

Karnataka coordinates with Uttarakhand for repatriation

The state government has moved swiftly on the ground. Officials from Karnataka are already in contact with their counterparts in Uttarakhand to repatriate the five bodies as quickly as possible. CM Shivakumar made clear the state stands with the families in their grief. When a state's citizens perish in a disaster beyond its borders, this kind of cross-state coordination — mobilising district administrations, liaising with local authorities, arranging mortal remains — is the immediate humanitarian duty of the home government. Karnataka is doing exactly that.

Helicopter services and the Char Dham risk

The Char Dham Yatra — covering Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri — draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to the Uttarakhand Himalayas each season. Helicopter services have operated on these routes for years, offering faster and less physically demanding access to high-altitude shrines for elderly and infirm devotees. But the terrain is unforgiving: sudden weather shifts, thin air, and narrow mountain corridors make every sortie a calculated risk. This crash is a sobering reminder of the dangers that attend even routine operations in the high Himalayas.

The Karnataka government's statement closes with 'Om Shanti' — the traditional invocation of eternal peace for the departed. For the families of six people who set out on a journey of devotion and never came home, the road ahead is one of grief — and the state has promised to walk it with them.