Katara : Seven people, including a woman pilot and a newly-wed couple, were killed when a chopper ferrying them back from the over 700-year-old Viashnodevi shrine crashed in Katra after catching fire following a suspected bird hit. This is the first fatal plane accident in this holy town. Arjun Singh and Vandana had been married for just five days. Their cousin also died in the crash, media reports said. An employee of the Indian Air Force, Arjun was an only son.
Sachin Solanki, a Delhi resident and his six-year-old daughter, were also among the deceased. “My daughter was a very bright student. She was very intelligent. I have lost everything,” said Solanki’s wife, who had gone on a family trip to Jammu. The deceased pilot was identified as Sumita Vijayn from Hyderabad. Vijayan, who had been with the company for a decade and was its chief pilot, was from Gurgaon, Haryana. Her sister is with the Indian Air Force and lives in Jammu with her mother. The 2010-make chopper of private airliner Himalayan Heli Services crashed at the new bus stand area in Katra. The preliminary investigation suggests a vulture had hit the chopper, said an official. The DGCA has instituted an inquiry into the crash.
According to Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, who rushed to the accident site, “A bird had got entangled in the tail rotor as a result of which it stopped functioning. Finding the area below populated, the pilot chose a safe landing area at the new bus stand to avoid casualties on the ground. “As the plane was descending, its rotors got enmeshed in electrical wires and it caught fire,” he said. The shrine is located at a height of 5,300 feet on the Trikuta Hills. Katra town is 50 km away from Jammu. Nearly one crore devotees visit the shrine every year, and most of them trek the 13 km distance. There are 100 two-way flights a day to Katara and back and about 1000 people use the chopper service daily. Himalayan Heli Services and Global Victra operate on this route. The passengers have a Rs 25 lakh insurance cover. In addition the Shrine Board has announced ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh for each of those killed, including the pilot.
