They often travelled together: Friends recall close bond shared by five Karnataka victims

Five friends from Karnataka, including a police inspector, perished in a helicopter crash in the hilly terrain of the Hathi Parvat area in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. The sixth victim was the pilot, Capt. Himanshu from Delhi. The five Karnataka victims were identified as inspector Arun Salunke, businessman Sudheer K and Shankargowda VB, advocates H S Nataraj and Prathapa Bachihally Ningaraju, and all were part of a close-knit group who embarked on the Char Dham pilgrimage together.

The helicopter, operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, crashed around 2 pm while en route from Badrinath to Dehradun.

Friends of the deceased recount the strong bond shared among the group, as they frequently documented their travels on social media. However, this time, no posts were made, leading friends to speculate about their absence. The Karnataka Chief Minister's Office and Relief Commissioner are working with their Uttarakhand counterparts to transport the bodies back to Karnataka for a post-mortem examination. The families of the victims have been informed of the tragic incident.