A defective helicopter, which was being airlifted from Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath by an MI-17 chopper, accidentally fell from mid-air as the towing rope snapped this morning.

The helicopter, which was operated by a private company, crashed near the Mandakini River.

It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured in the accident, which was also caught on camera.

The chopper was earlier involved in ferrying passengers to Kedarnath temple.

There has been a sharp drop in the number of pilgrims going to Kedarnath since July 31 due to extensive damage caused by heavy rain to the trek route to the Himalayan temple.

Rain-induced landslides along the route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath had left thousands of people stranded, prompting the administration to launch a massive rescue operation aided by the Air Force’s Chinook and MI17 helicopters, besides private choppers.

Though the trek route had remained largely suspended in August, the pilgrims arrived at the Himalayan temple on helicopters.

Chardham Yatra began this year on May 10 with the opening of the Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri temples for pilgrims. The portals of Badrinath opened on May 12.

More than 33 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the Himalayan temples.

Australia’s Alexei Popyrin hands defending champion Novak Djokovic his earliest US Open defeat in 18 years with victory in the third round. 

​Australia’s Alexei Popyrin hands defending champion Novak Djokovic his earliest US Open defeat in 18 years with victory in the third round.  

Sandip Ghosh, the ex-principal of R G Kar Hospital, claims he was informed of the PGT doctor’s death around 10.20 am on August 9. He missed an earlier call at 10 am. Authorities are investigating timeline discrepancies and the involvement of unrelated people at the hospital. Additional polygraph tests and inquiries are underway.