Two Helicopters Collide Near Everest Base Camp, One Tourist Killed
An Indian tourist died when two helicopters clipped blades while landing near Mount Everest’s base camp.
Two helicopters tangled their rotors while attempting to land near Mount Everest’s base camp, killing an Indian tourist.
Verified video shows the blades of the two aircraft clipping each other as they descended at approximately 08:15 local time (02:30 GMT) in the village of Pheriche, about 12 km (7 miles) south of the base camp.
Fishtail Air identified the deceased as Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu. The company said one of its helicopters was involved in the collision; a New Zealand tourist and the helicopter’s captain were injured.
Those injured were rescued and taken to Kathmandu, according to a statement from Fishtail Air.
The second helicopter belonged to Air Dynasty and was transporting cargo. It had a single crew member on board, who sustained no injuries.
A witness recounted that people ran to the crash site after hearing the impact.
Gyanendra Bhul, a spokesman for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, said the accident appears to have happened when both helicopters attempted to land at the same spot.
Video footage shows clear weather with no visible strong winds; one helicopter seems to be descending more rapidly than the other.
Pheriche sits on the trekking route to Everest’s summit at just over 4,000 m (13,120 ft) above sea level, and climbing expeditions to Everest and Ama Dablam are currently underway during the popular autumn season.
Helicopters remain a common mode of transport in Nepal’s rugged terrain, though rapidly changing weather and high altitude make aviation operations hazardous.
