Six Dead As Tourist Helicopter Crashes in Nepal

All six people aboard a tourist helicopter in Nepal were killed when it crashed soon after take-off in the Everest region on Tuesday, aviation authorities said.

The Manang Air flight was heading for the capital Kathmandu from near Lukla, the gateway for climbing expeditions to the world’s highest peak, with five Mexican travelers and a Nepali pilot onboard.

The chopper lost contact eight minutes after taking off on Tuesday morning, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said in a statement.

“Locals and police at the site report that all six bodies have been recovered,” Pratap Babu Tiwari, general manager at the Tribhuvan International Airport, told AFP.

Two helicopters and teams on the ground had been deployed for search and rescue and could not land near the crash site because of the weather.

“The bodies are being brought by ground transportation to the helicopters so they can be lifted to Kathmandu,” Tiwari said.

Lhakpa Sherpa, a local resident who joined search and rescue efforts, said the scene was “very scary”.

“It looks like the helicopter first collided with a tree and then slammed on the floor. It has caused a small hole in the ground,” he said.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “expressed grief” over the incident, his office said on Twitter.