In a tragic chopper crash incident in eastern Nepal all six people aboard were killed, said a senior airport official on Tuesday. The private commercial helicopter crashed near Mount Everest. Out of six dead, five were Mexicans, and one was a Nepali pilot.
At 10:04 am for Kathmandu, the Manang Air NA-MV chopper took off from Surke Airport in Solukhumbu district. However, at an altitude above 12,000 feet at 10:13 am, it suddenly lost contact, said Gyanendra Bhul, Manager at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), reported news agency PTI. After enjoying a mountain flight, all six were returning to Kathmandu from Surke.
The helicopter crashed in the Lamjura area of Likhupike Rural Municipality. During a search operation, all six bodies were found at the crash site.
Local people and cops who reached the crashed site reported all six persons including the pilot dead, informed the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
Due to adverse weather conditions, two helicopters of Altitude Air (mobilised for rescue operations) could not land at the crash site.
Those who are killed are identified as:
- Captain Chet Bahadur Gurung (Pilot)
- Five foreign passengers of a Mexican family – Sifuentes G. Fernando (95), Sifuentes Rincon Ismail (98), Sifuentes Gongalez Abril (72), Gongalez Olacio Luz (65) and Sifuentes G. Maria Jese (52), MyRepublica news portal reported.
As per the reports, the helicopter crashed with a loud explosion and there was a fire at the crash site. Reportedly, the accident is believed to have been caused due to adverse weather conditions.
Manang Air is founded in 1997. It is a helicopter airline based in Kathmandu. The company provides chartered services. It focuses on personalised services such as helicopter excursions (or expedition work) and adventure flights.