Two helicopters collided as they were trying to land near Everest base camp in Nepal, killing one tourist and injuring at least two other people.
The crash occurred at about 8:12 a.m. Tuesday in the Pheriche area of Solukhumbu District, according to Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority. The aircraft belonged to Air Dynasty and Fishtail Air.
Two foreign tourists were aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter. One, 47-year-old Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, from Chennai, India, died. The other passenger, New Zealand national Shailesh Kisan Patel, was injured, as was at least one of the pilots involved.
Those injured were taken to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment. Nepal’s aviation authority has opened an investigation and will consider whether any corrective measures are needed once it has reviewed the findings.
Fishtail Air said its helicopter crashed during landing while carrying passengers who had been rescued from the Everest region. The Air Dynasty helicopter was carrying cargo, a company official said.
Helicopters are an important means of transport around Everest, where roads are scarce. They are often used to evacuate trekkers and guides who become ill or exhausted in the cold, high-altitude conditions. Pheriche, the site of the collision, lies about 13,780 feet above sea level, below Everest base camp.
The crash followed heavy snowfall that had covered trekking routes in the region. Conditions improved on Sunday, allowing thousands of trekkers to resume their journeys.
Nepal has also been dealing with the aftermath of severe flooding near its border with China. The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse on Aug. 26, leading to flash floods and landslides. At least 1,399 people in Nepal and China’s Tibet region were reported dead, while more than 5,400 were missing at the time. Rescue teams searched areas including hydropower project tunnels where workers were believed to be trapped.
U.S. officials warned Americans to avoid the disaster zone because of the continuing risk of further floods and landslides.
