Two helicopters collide near Everest Base Camp in Nepal
An Indian national was killed and a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin was injured in the collision.
Two helicopters collided while attempting to land at the Pheriche helipad in Nepal's Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning, according to Moneycontrol and The New Indian Express. The aircraft, operated by Fishtail Air and Dynasty Air, struck each other as they approached the landing site near the Everest region.
Mausam Tamang, Chief of Police Solukhumbu, identified the deceased as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, an Indian national travelling on the Fishtail Air helicopter. Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, was also on the same aircraft and sustained injuries, Tamang told The Kathmandu Post.
The injured passenger was airlifted to Lukla by a Prabhu Helicopter for treatment and was later moved to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu. No fire broke out following the collision, according to reports from Moneycontrol and Deputy Superintendent of Police Suraj Pandey of the Armed Police Force (APF).
Gyanendra Bhul, an information officer at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, said the rotor blades of the two helicopters struck each other during the landing attempt. CCTV footage has emerged showing the moments leading up to the collision.
The cause of the accident remains unknown. Police stated they are gathering further details and investigating the incident.