Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand): A Kedarnath pilgrim had a providential escape as he deboarded the ill-fated plane that crashed minutes later, causing death of all seven aboard in Uttarakhand's temple town on Tuesday. In a video message, Vivek Shastri who got a second lease of life thanked the God for his blessings and said in a shaking voice that 'this is the same chopper by which we had arrived here'.
Vivek Shastri, a native of the hill state, seemed visibly shaken in the clip and thanked Lord Shiva. "Just a few moments ago, several pilgrims lost their lives in a helicopter crash. This is the same chopper by which we had arrived here. The accident occurred due to bad weather when it was going back (to Uttarkashi). I pray to Baba Kedarnath to grant peace to their departed souls" he added.
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Meanwhile, a selfie of 26-year-old Poorva Ramanuj from Gujarat's Bhavnagar, one of the passengers on board, surfaced on Wednesday. The beaming picture of Ramanuj in front of the holy shrine was taken minutes before she boarded the ill-fated Aryan Aviation chopper. It is learnt that she also conducted an Instagram live session to mark the occasion.
