By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
A helicopter belonging to Trans Bharat Aviation Ltd carrying six people including pilot on Friday afternoon went missing near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district prompting the district administration, disaster management department and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to launch a joint rescue operation.
The helicopter which was going to Dehradun from Badrinath lost communication when it was flying over Joshimath, an official statement said.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was continuously monitoring the situation and had directed officials to ensure that seriously injured passengers were immediately airlifted to higher medical centres for better treatment.
“We have received the unfortunate news of a helicopter crash near Chayee village, close to Joshimath. A joint rescue operation is being conducted by the district administration, disaster management department and SDRF,” Dhami said in a statement.
He said instructions had been issued to make immediate arrangements for shifting seriously injured passengers to better-equipped medical facilities.
The chief minister also prayed for the safe return of all passengers.
Pilot: Himanshu
Passengers: Prathapa (Male), Arun (M) Shankar Gowda (M), Sudheer K (M) H S Natraja (M).