Kedarnath chopper crash: Birthday girl, cousin, friend meet tragic end

AHMEDABAD: Kruti Barad had called father Kamlesh in Gujarat's Bhavnagar from Kedarnath on her 30th birthday on Tuesday, pulling his leg and asking why he hadn't been the first to wish her. That wish turned out to be her last.

School teacher Kruti - the only child of her parents - perished in the Uttarakhand chopper crash with cousin Urvi, 25, and friend Purva Ramanuj, 26, apart from three other pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and the pilot.

Urvi, an IT professional whose father had died in a road accident two years ago, was a trekker and had gone to Kedarnath earlier. The breadwinner of a family of four, Urvi, in her last Instagram post, had put out a photo with Kruti, wishing the birthday girl.

Purva, of Bhavnagar, wanted to build a life in Canada, having got a bachelor's degree in computer applications (BCA) from an Anand varsity.

"The three had started their journey by train from Ahmedabad on October 15," a relative said. On Tuesday, Kruti was celebrating her birthday by visiting Kedarnath. A few hours later news about the crash reached their homes.

Urvi's younger brother Vatsal learnt about the accident from Instagram. The families have left for Haridwar and will perform the last rites there.

"Kruti had gone to Paris to study MBA two years ago but returned due to the pandemic," the relative said, adding that she was an English teacher at a local school.

Urvi's father had died two years ago. Since then, Urvi was the breadwinner for her family of four comprising two sisters, a brother, and mother. "Urvi had got engaged just two months ago. Around 9am on Tuesday, she called up her fiance to say they were returning from Kedarnath," said Vatsal. Purva was ready for a future in Canada. She had cleared "9 out of 10 bands" in IELTS. The Gujarat government will give Rs 4 lakh each to the three families, minister Jitu Vaghani tweeted.