Summary The accident comes during the peak trekking season in Nepal, when helicopters ferry hikers and climbers in the region
An Indian national was killed and a New Zealander injured after two helicopters collided as they prepared to land in Nepal’s Mount Everest region on Tuesday, authorities said.
The New Zealander has been rescued, the chief district officer of Solukhumbu district, Kaman Singh Thapa Magar, told Reuters. The incident took place in the base camp area of Mount Everest, Magar said.
The helicopters were operated by two private firms, Fishtail Air and Dynasty Air. Fishtail Air said in a statement that its helicopter was carrying passengers who had been rescued from the Everest region when it crashed while landing.
The Indian and the New Zealander on board were tourists, a Fishtail official said, while a Dynasty Air official said its helicopter was carrying only cargo.
The accident comes during the peak trekking season in Nepal, when helicopters ferry hikers and climbers in the region.
Last week, six people were killed in a helicopter crash in the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The helicopter was flying from Badrinath, a prominent pilgrimage destination for Hindus located in the mountains, to Dehradun city, the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) said in a statement.
All six people on board the chopper, including five passengers and the pilot, were killed, ANI reported, citing UCADA’s Chief Executive Officer Prateek Jain.
