By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
A pilot and five Chardham pilgrims were killed when a private helicopter crashed in the hills of Gangnani area in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on Thursday morning.
The helicopter belonging to Aerotrans Service Pvt Ltd was flying a total of six pilgrims from the high altitude Yamunotri to Gangotri when the crash occurred. The reasons for the helicopter crash were not known. Most of the pilgrims who were close relatives, died on the spot, police said.
The lone injured passenger identified as Maktoor Bhaskar (51) of Mominbad Guntkal Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh was rushed to a hospital. However, Bhaskar’s wife Vedanti (48) died in the crash.
Immediately after the crash, the rescue operation was launched with the help of SDRF and teams of the Uttarkashi district administration, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said.
The CM said he has instructed the district administration to provide best medical care to the injured.
The pilot of the chopper has been identified as Robin Singh (60) of Gujarat.
The five pilgrims who were killed in the crash are Vijay Lakshmi Reddy (57) of Powai Mumbai, Radha Agarwal (79) of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, Ruchi Agarwal (56) Powai Mumbai, Kala Chandrakant Soni (61) Powai Mumbai and Vedanti Bhaskar (48) Gutankal Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh.