An Indian tourist was killed and three others were injured after two helicopters collided while landing in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning.
The deceased was identified as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, an Indian national travelling aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter, Inspector Mausam Tamang said, as reported by The Kathmandu Post.
He added that the body of the deceased Indian tourist was taken to a hospital in Lukla.
Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin who was also aboard the same helicopter, was injured in the collision. He was airlifted to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu aboard a Prabhu Air helicopter, Tamang said.
Both pilots sustained minor injuries and were also taken to Kathmandu for further treatment.
When did the collision occur
The helicopters, operated by Air Dynasty and Fishtail Air, collided at around 8:11 am while landing at Pheriche in Ward 4 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, according to the District Police Office, The Kathmandu Post reported.
The aircraft were ferrying trekkers who had been hiking up to Everest base camp during Nepal’s popular trekking season. The helicopters crashed at Pheriche village, which is at 4,200 meters (13,780 feet) altitude, AP reported.
“One foreigner is dead on the spot, and another injured person has been taken to the hospital,” Nabin Raja Budhathoki, in charge of Solukhumbu District Police, told AFP.
The number of passengers aboard the two helicopters at the time of the collision is yet to be confirmed.
