Helicopter Crash in Srinagar, 1 killed

Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 1:19 pm

SRINAGAR: A Hindu pilgrim was killed and five others hurt when a helicopter carrying worshippers to a Himalayan shrine in Indian occupied Kashmir crashed on Thursday, officials said.
Helicopter Crash in Srinagar, 1 killed
The helicopter came down three kilometers (two miles) short of the Amarnath cave, situated 3,800 metres (12,800 feet) above sea level. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

“A woman devotee was killed and five others, including the pilot, were injured in the crash,” Madan Mantoo, an official associated with the two-month long pilgrimage told AFP.

Two of the seriously injured were hospitalised, he said.

The majority of Amarnath pilgrims trek up to the shrine but rich devotees often use a privately-operated helicopter service.