Uttarakhand chopper crash: An act of kindness saves couple

The fatal helicopter crash near Kedarnath claimed the lives of seven people, but an act of kindness saved the lives of a couple.

The couple, Pooja and Pravin Mahajan, letting a sick teenager and her grandmother to board the helicopter ahead of themselves.

The Mahajans had had been travelling with the Pooja's cousin, Shraddha Jaiswal of Maharashtra, her husband Rajkumar, and their two-year-old daughter Kashi. The Jaiswal family were among the seven killed


On Sunday morning, the group was waiting at the Kedarnath helipad with the Jaiswals for the chopper to Gaurikund when an elderly woman requested that she and her unwell granddaughter be allowed to go first. Pravin gave up his family's seats for the duo.

Rajkumar Jaiswal along with his family members had left Maharashtra's Yavatmal on June 12 to visit the Kedarnath temple. The couple’s son, Vivaan, survived the tragedy as he had stayed back with his grandfather in Maharashtra's Pandharkawda and did not accompany the family on the trip.

According to Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar, zero visibility caused by bad weather apparently led to the crash.

The Civil Aviation Ministry said the accident would be investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).