The crash took place in the morning, when a helicopter of Himalayan Airways with four passengers aboard, crash-landed at the helipad near the Amarnath cave. A woman identified as Kalawati, 50, a resident of Baitul district in Madhya Pradesh, who was on foot to the cave, was killed when she was hit by the blades of the helicopter.

Those injured in the crash were passengers and the pilot of the helicopter.

The pilot has been identified as Captain Parminder Singh and those injured are couple Vandana (45) and Rajesh Kumar (51), residents of Kolkata, Tejpal Singh (62) and Om Prakash Aggarwal (58) of of Uttar Pradesh.

Chief Executive Officer, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), B B Vyas said the injured were brought to Baltal where the condition of Om Prakash Aggarwal and Tejpal Singh was reported to be stable. “Rajesh and Vandana, and the pilot were airlifted to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, for specialised treatment,” the CEO added.

The CEO said the helicopter, operated by Himalayan Heli Services, could not land at the helipad at the holy cave and in the process lost height around 100 metres away from the lower camp towards Sangam. He said the Director General Civil Aviation, New Delhi, has deputed a team of Assistant Director and Deputy Director of Air Safety to investigate the cause of the incident.

J-K Governor N N Vohra, who is also the chairman of the SASB, while expressing shock over the incident, has directed the SASB CEO to review all existing arrangements relating to the operation of helicopter services. “The review should be done in consultation with experts from the Civil Aviation Department of the state government for recommending all required measures to ensure complete safety and security of pilgrims availing the helicopter service,” the Governor said. The site of accident has been cordoned off. The Yatra, however, is progressing smoothly on both Pahalgam and Baltal routes.