News
July 11, 2023 | 7:43 a.m
Nepal officials said six people died when a helicopter carrying tourists to see the world’s highest peak near Mount Everest suddenly crashed on Tuesday.
Five tourists – all Mexican nationals – were on board the plane when it went down in Lamgura district, Nepal Civil Aviation Authority he said in a press release.
The Nepali pilot was also killed in the accident.
The authority said: “Local residents and the police who arrived at the crash site reported that all six people, including the pilot, were killed.”
The group of tourists included two men and three women.
The plane was returning to the capital, Kathmandu, after taking tourists to see the world’s highest peak early Tuesday morning.
Airport officials said weather conditions caused the helicopter’s planned flight to be altered.
During the monsoon season, which starts in mid-June, it is common for heavy rains to cause flight delays and change routes.
Officials said the helicopter lost contact with the ground at 10:13 a.m., shortly after it took off from Surk to return to Kathmandu.
Two Altitude Air helicopters were mobilized for the rescue operation, but due to bad weather, they were unable to land at the crash site, located on Lamjura Pass at 13,779 feet.
Officials said local security services have been mobilized for rescue efforts.
The authority said the six bodies would be transported by road transport to the helicopter landing area before being flown to Kathmandu.
The passengers have been identified as Fernando Cifuentes, Abrique Gonzalez, Olacio Luz Gonzalez, María José Cifuentes and Ismael Rincon – all from Mexico.
The Nepalese pilot has been identified as Capt. Chet B Gurung, Reported Nepal Times.
The cause of the plane crash is not known yet, but almost all aviation disasters in Nepal are due to CFIT (Controlled Flight To Terrain) where a plane crashes into mountains that are hidden by clouds.
The crash on Tuesday morning was the worst to hit Nepal since a passenger plane crashed six months ago, killing 72 passengers and four crew members.
There have been 941 deaths in 73 accidents in Nepal since 1962.
Of these, at least 10 were helicopter crashes, resulting in the deaths of 77 people.
with wire
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