A May 2025 video of an AIIMS Rishikesh heli ambulance crash-landing is falsely linked to the June 2025 Gaurikund helicopter crash
On 15 June 2025, a tragic helicopter crash took place in the forests of Gaurikund, Uttarakhand, while taking pilgrims from Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi. All seven people on board, including the pilot, lost their lives in the accident (here, here). In response to the tragedy, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered an inquiry into the incident and announced a temporary ban on helicopter services operating during the Char Dham Yatra.
In the aftermath of this incident, a video is being shared on social media (here, here) with the claim that it shows the helicopter involved in the Gaurikund crash in which all passengers died. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: The video shows the helicopter that crashed in Gaurikund, Uttarakhand, on 15 June 2025, resulting in the death of all passengers on board.
Fact: The video does not show the helicopter that crashed in Gaurikund on 15 June 2025. It shows a separate incident involving an AIIMS Rishikesh heli ambulance that crash-landed in Kedarnath on 17 May 2025. All three onboard survived, and the incident is unrelated to the June 2025 Gaurikund crash. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to a Facebook post (archived) by ET Now News, dated 17 May 2025, featuring the same visuals. This confirms that the video predates and is unrelated to the 15 June 2025 helicopter crash in Gaurikund, Uttarakhand. As per the post’s description, the video shows a separate incident involving a helicopter from AIIMS Rishikesh’s heli ambulance service that crash-landed in Kedarnath after its rear section was damaged. A major tragedy was averted, and all three people on the captain, a doctor, and a medical staff member, escaped unharmed.
According to news reports (here, here, and here), the incident took place on 17 May 2025, when the helicopter developed a technical fault mid-air that damaged its tail rotor, prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing near the Kedarnath helipad. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has reportedly launched a technical investigation into the matter.
To sum up, a May 2025 video of an AIIMS Rishikesh heli ambulance crash-landing is falsely linked to the June 2025 Gaurikund helicopter crash.