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One person was killed and another injured after two helicopters collided while attempting to land at a high-altitude heliport in Nepal near Mount Everest, police said.
The incident occurred in Solukhumbu district, around 250km from the capital Kathmandu. The deceased was identified as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, an Indian national, according to the Kathmandu Post.
A video purportedly showing the collision has gone viral on social media. The footage appears to show the rotor blades of the two helicopters striking each other just before landing, causing both aircraft to crash onto the icy ground. However, NDTV said it could not independently verify the video’s authenticity.
“One foreigner is dead on the spot, and another injured person has been taken to the hospital,” Nabin Raja Budhathoki, in charge of Solukhumbu district police, told AFP.
Helicopters are widely used in Nepal to transport tourists, climbers and supplies, as well as to conduct emergency evacuations.
However, the country’s challenging mountainous terrain, thin air at high altitudes and rapidly changing weather conditions make aviation operations particularly hazardous.
Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains and attracts thousands of foreign climbers and trekkers every year.
Thin air at high altitudes reduces the lift generated by helicopter rotor blades and limits engine performance, making flights particularly challenging.
Just days earlier, a helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from Badrinath in India’s Uttarakhand state, killing all six people on board, including the pilot and five passengers.
Source : NDTV