Indian national killed as two helicopters collide in Nepal's Everest region
One person died and three others were injured when two helicopters collided while attempting to land in Solukhumbu district on Tuesday.
An Indian national was killed and three others were injured after two helicopters collided while attempting to land near Mount Everest in Nepal on Tuesday morning, according to reports from The Times of India and PTI.
The accident occurred at approximately 8.11am local time at Pheriche in the Solukhumbu district. The two aircraft, operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty, collided while approaching the landing area.
Nepal Police identified the deceased as 47-year-old Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, an Indian national travelling on the Fishtail Air helicopter. His body was taken to a hospital in Lukla.
Three others sustained injuries in the collision. Shailesh Krishna Patel, a 49-year-old Indian-origin resident of New Zealand travelling on the Fishtail Air helicopter, was airlifted to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu. Two pilots, Rabindra Prajapati of Fishtail Air and Prajwal KC of Air Dynasty, were also injured and taken to Kathmandu for treatment.
Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) deputy spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul said the helicopters were approaching the landing area from different directions. One was travelling from Lukla and the other was returning from Gorakhpur, near the Everest base camp.
Preliminary information suggests the helicopters may have attempted to land on a snow-covered helipad. Police said they are collecting further details regarding the incident.