AIIMS Rishikesh heli-ambulance idle in Kedarnath for 18 months after 2025 crash
AIIMS Rishikesh's helicopter ambulance has been out of service for about a year and a half since a May 2025 crash in Kedarnath, a report says.
AIIMS Rishikesh's helicopter ambulance service has been out of action for about a year and a half, according to an Amar Ujala report. The report says the aircraft crashed in Kedarnath on 17 May 2025 and has neither been repaired nor removed, and that no replacement has been provided.
The service was meant to move patients quickly from remote hill areas and was described as especially useful for pregnant women from Uttarkashi and Chamoli. Under the agreement, the contracted agency was supposed to supply a replacement within three days of a breakdown or crash, but the report says that deadline was missed.
The service was announced on 20 September 2022 and inaugurated virtually by the Prime Minister on 29 October 2024. AIIMS had said it would restart aero-medical service with Army support, but the report found no concrete progress.
AIIMS PRO Dr Shrilloy Mohanty said helicopters are available when needed with state support and that patients are reaching AIIMS by helicopter almost every day.
Why it matters for ambulance owners and drivers
- Hill patients depend more on road ambulances while the air service is down.
Read the full report at the source: Amar Ujala
This is a summary written by the Ambulance Owner Association. The facts are from the source named above.