Six people, including pilot, were killed this afternoon as the chopper carrying them crashed in Katra, the base camp of Vaishnodevi shrine in Jammu. Reports quoting police said that the chopper was on its way to the shrine. The chopper belonged to a private operator Himalayan Heli Service, reports said.

The chopper took off for Vaishno Devi from Katra when it crashed near White Hotel in Katra, killing all the persons onboard the ill-fated helicopter including the woman pilot. According to sources, the chopper developed technical snag immediately after taking off and before it crashed in an open filed, it turned into a ball of fire.