Indian tourist killed as two helicopters collide near Everest base camp
An Indian national died and three others were injured after two helicopters collided during landing in Nepal's Solukhumbu district.
An Indian tourist died and three others were injured after two helicopters collided while attempting to land near Pheriche village in Nepal's Solukhumbu district on Tuesday, according to reports from BBC News, Outlook and Mint.
The collision occurred at an altitude of 4,200 metres near the Mount Everest base camp during the autumn trekking season. Verified footage showed the helicopter blades of the two aircraft clipping each other at approximately 08:15 local time.
The deceased has been identified by Fishtail Air as Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu. Solukhumbu district official Bhupendra Thapa described the man as a 47-year-old tourist from India.
Fishtail Air, which was involved in the collision, was carrying passengers. One passenger, a New Zealand tourist identified as Shailesh Krishna Patel, was injured and flown to Kathmandu for treatment.
The second helicopter was operated by Air Dynasty and was carrying cargo. An official from Air Dynasty said the crew member on that aircraft sustained no injuries.
Gyanendra Bhul, a spokesman for Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority, said it appears the accident happened when the two helicopters attempted to land at the same spot.