An Indian national was killed and three others, including two Nepalese pilots, were injured after two helicopters collided while attempting to land in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning.
The accident occurred at around 8:11 am (local time) at Pheriche, located in Ward 4 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, along the route to the Mount Everest Base Camp.
According to the District Police Office in Solukhumbu, the helicopters operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty were involved in the collision.
Police identified the deceased as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, a 47-year-old Indian national travelling aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter. His body has been shifted to a hospital in Lukla.
Another passenger on the same helicopter, Shailesh Krishna Patel, a 49-year-old person of Indian origin residing in New Zealand, sustained injuries. He was airlifted to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment by a Prabhu Helicopter.
The pilots of both aircraft, Rabindra Prajapati of Fishtail Air and Prajwal KC of Air Dynasty, also suffered injuries and were taken to Kathmandu for further medical care.
Pheriche is situated approximately 150 km northeast of Kathmandu and serves as an important stop on the trekking route towards Everest Base Camp.
Police said the total number of passengers aboard the two helicopters at the time of the collision has not yet been established. Further details about the circumstances of the accident are awaited.
