All six people aboard a helicopter, including its pilot, were killed after the aircraft crashed in the Chamoli district of India’s Uttarakhand state amid heavy snowfall.

The helicopter, which had gone missing during adverse weather conditions, was later found wrecked on a hillside. The accident occurred on Friday (October 30), according to a report by Indian news outlet NDTV.

According to the report, the helicopter, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation Private Limited under the call sign VT-HCX, took off from Badrinath at around 1:14 pm, heading towards Sahastradhara in Dehradun.

While flying over the Joshimath Valley, the aircraft encountered heavy snowfall and adverse weather conditions. It subsequently lost contact with air traffic control.

At approximately 2:20 pm, the helicopter crashed into a hillside near the GP Power House, close to Marwari Bridge in Joshimath.

All six people on board were male. The victims were identified as Pratap, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudhir K, HS Nataraj and the pilot, Captain Himanshu.

The tragic incident has cast a shadow of grief across the region.