Chopper makes hard-landing

Dehradun: Six Kedarnath pilgrims and a pilot had a narrow escape Friday as their helicopter developed a technical snag that made it go into a tailspin before hard-landing meters below the helipad in the mountainous region.

Online videos showed the helicopter with six pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and a pilot onboard swerving dangerously just above the helipad near the temple. People at the helipad scrambled to safety as the chopper descended, nearly touching down on the helipad. But it continued to swirl and finally made a rough landing below the helipad.

The chopper had lifted off from Shersi and was about to land at the helipad near the Kedarnath temple when the incident happened around 7 am. The pilot kept his cool and took a quick decision, averting a major mishap.