The helicopter is said to have crashed due to bad weather, but a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing.

On October 18, a helicopter crashed before reaching the base station, killing seven people, including the pilot.

A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the helicopter crash that killed seven people near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand on Tuesday, according to a senior official.

The official added that according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) classification, it was an accident and the AAIB would investigate the case.

C. Ravi Shankar, chief executive of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), said the helicopter belonged to Aryan Airlines and was said to have crashed due to bad weather, but a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident was underway.

According to officials, the accident happened minutes after the helicopter took off from the tarmac, between Lincoln and Garud Chatti. Rescue teams rushed to the scene immediately. The helicopter is a Bell-407 VT-RPN owned by Aryan Air.

"Due to heavy fog and poor visibility, the helicopter crashed after hitting a hill," said C. Ravishankar.

Witness Sonu Bisht, who also informed the disaster control room of the accident, told everyone that the helicopter took off even though the survivability in the valley was poor due to the thick fog.

"Helicopter transports people even in bad weather. They play with people's lives," Mr. Bisht said.

Manohar Singh, a security officer deployed at the Kedarnath helipad, told PTI that the helicopter of Aryan Aviation Pvt Ltd hit a hill in thick fog and crashed within seconds of taking off near Garurchatti, just two kilometers from Kedarnath.

Regional administration Rudraprayag claimed that helicopter services remained suspended following the accident due to bad weather on Tuesday.

"The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is very unfortunate. We are in contact with the state government to determine the extent of the damage and are constantly monitoring the situation," said Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.