Indian national killed after two helicopters collide near Everest base camp

Indian national killed after two helicopters collide near Everest base camp

An Indian tourist has died after two helicopters collided while trying to land near the base camp of Mount Everest, two officials have told the BBC.

Verified crash footage showed the two helicopters’ blades clipping each other as they came in to land at about 08:15 local time (02:30 GMT) in Pheriche, around 12km (7 miles) south of Mount Everest Base Camp.

Helicopter company Fishtail Air identified the victim as Indian national Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu.

The company said one of its aircraft was involved in the collision and that another passenger and the helicopter captain were injured.

Fishtail Air said in a statement that the injured passengers and crew members were rescued and flown to Kathmandu.

Bhupendra Thapa, an official in Solukhumbu district, told BBC Nepal that the injured passenger was a tourist from New Zealand.

The other helicopter involved was operated by Air Dynasty and was carrying cargo, the company said.

It had one crew member on board and no injuries were reported, it added.

Gyanendra Bhul, a spokesman for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, said: "It appears the accident happened when two helicopters... attempted to land at the same spot."

Video of the incident shows clear weather conditions, with no visible strong wind effects. One helicopter appears to be descending more quickly than the other.

Helicopters are commonly used for transport in the Himalayan country because of its difficult terrain. However, rapidly changing weather and high altitude often make aviation operations dangerous.

Pheriche, a village on the trekking route to the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, sits at just over 4,000m (13,120ft) above sea level.

Climbing expeditions to Everest and Ama Dablam are currently taking place in the region, as autumn is a popular climbing season.