Helicopter collision near Everest kills Indian tourist, injures two
An Indian tourist was killed and two others injured after two helicopters collided while attempting to land near Mount Everest base camp in Nepal, highlighting the risks facing aircraft operating in the mountainous trekking region.
The accident occurred on Tuesday at Pheriche village, located at an altitude of 13,780 feet, according to local officials. The helicopters were carrying trekkers who had been making their way towards Everest base camp during Nepal’s busy autumn trekking season.
The deceased was a 47-year-old tourist from India, Solukhumbhu district administration official Bhupendra Thapa said. A New Zealand passenger suffered injuries and was being taken to Kathmandu for medical treatment, while the Nepali pilot of one of the helicopters sustained injuries and received treatment locally.
Authorities had not immediately established how many people were aboard the two aircraft when the collision occurred. The accident took place in an area where helicopters play an important role in transporting trekkers and guides who become ill or exhausted because of the extreme cold and high altitude.
With no road access to Mount Everest, aircraft are the main means of evacuating people from remote locations along the trekking route. The incident came during the autumn trekking season, which attracts large numbers of visitors after the monsoon rains and before the onset of winter.
Heavy snowfall had recently affected the route, but improving weather conditions since Sunday had allowed thousands of trekkers to resume their journeys. The trek from Lukla, the region’s only airstrip, to Everest base camp, situated at 17,380 feet, typically takes up to two weeks.
