Kathmandu, Nov 3: An Indian national was killed and three others were injured on Tuesday morning when two helicopters collided while attempting to land at a high-altitude helipad in Nepal's Everest region, police said.
The accident took place at Pheriche, in Ward 4 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu district, at around 8.11 am local time, according to the District Police Office, Solukhumbu. Pheriche lies on the trekking route towards Mount Everest base camp, about 150 kilometres northeast of Kathmandu, and its helipad is a busy hub for flights ferrying trekkers, supplies and emergency evacuations in the high Himalayas.
The two helicopters were operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty. According to Nepal Police and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the rotors of the two aircraft struck each other as they were coming in to land at the Pheriche helipad, sending both aircraft crashing onto the ground below. A video of the collision circulating on social media showed the rotors hitting each other just before landing, though police have not formally authenticated the footage.
The person killed was identified as 47-year-old Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, an Indian national who was travelling aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter. Police Inspector Mausam Tamang, the chief of police in Solukhumbu, confirmed the identity of the deceased to reporters.
Three other people were injured in the collision, including both pilots and a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin. The injured passenger was identified as Shailesh Krishna Patel, who was travelling on the same Fishtail Air helicopter as the deceased. Patel was airlifted to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu aboard a Prabhu Air helicopter for treatment.
The Fishtail Air helicopter was piloted by Captain Prajjwal KC, while the Air Dynasty helicopter was commanded by Captain Rabindra Prajapati. Both pilots sustained injuries and were taken to Kathmandu for further treatment.
The body of the deceased was brought to Lukla aboard a Prabhu Air helicopter, reports said. Lukla, with its famously short and steep mountain airstrip, is the gateway town for the Everest region and the usual first stop for casualties being evacuated from higher settlements such as Pheriche.
Authorities said the exact cause of the collision was under investigation and that the total number of passengers on board the two helicopters had not yet been confirmed. Nepal Police said in a statement that the helicopters collided while landing, and the Civil Aviation Authority's information officer, Gyanendra Bhul, said preliminary information suggested the rotors collided during the landing procedure.
Investigators will examine the sequence of the two landings, the instructions given by ground staff, weather and visibility at the time, and the condition of both aircraft.
Helicopter operations in Nepal's mountains are among the most demanding in the world. Pilots fly in thin air at high altitude, where aircraft performance is reduced, weather can change within minutes, and landing sites are often small, sloping clearings surrounded by steep terrain.
Helipads such as Pheriche, which sits at an altitude of more than 4,200 metres above sea level, handle a constant stream of flights during the trekking season, when thousands of visitors move through the Everest region.
Nepal has a poor aviation safety record, with more than 50 commercial plane crashes and 35 helicopter accidents recorded since 1960, according to reports. The country's difficult terrain, rapidly changing mountain weather and, in the past, questions over regulatory oversight have all been cited by safety experts as contributing factors. Tuesday's collision is the latest in a series of accidents that have kept the focus on aviation safety in the Himalayan nation.
Just days ago, a helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from Badrinath in India's Uttarakhand, killing all six people on board, including the pilot and five passengers. That accident, in another Himalayan region, underlined how unforgiving mountain flying can be on both sides of the border.
For the families involved, the immediate concern is treatment and repatriation. The injured are being treated in Kathmandu, and Indian officials are expected to coordinate with Nepalese authorities over formalities for the deceased. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu routinely assists in such cases, helping with documentation and the return of mortal remains to India.
Pheriche itself is a small settlement of stone lodges and tea houses that serves trekkers acclimatising on the way to Everest base camp. Helicopter traffic there is heavy in the autumn trekking season, as flights carry trekkers who are unwell, deliver supplies to lodges and move climbers between camps. The helipad is a flat patch of ground where several aircraft may be operating in quick succession, making coordination between pilots and ground handlers essential.
Tuesday's accident will raise fresh questions about how simultaneous landings are managed at busy mountain helipads and whether procedures need to be tightened. Aviation investigators typically look at whether the two helicopters were cleared to land at the same time, whether either pilot was aware of the other's position, and whether the helipad's layout contributed to the collision. The findings of the inquiry are awaited.
In the meantime, the Everest region's rescue network swung into action, as it has done after previous accidents. Prabhu Air helicopters were used to evacuate both the injured and the deceased from Pheriche, reflecting the central role private helicopter operators play in mountain rescue in Nepal, where road access to high settlements is non-existent and air evacuation is often the only option.
The death of an Indian tourist in the accident will be felt keenly in India, where Nepal is one of the most popular destinations for travellers, trekkers and pilgrims. Thousands of Indians visit the Everest region every year, many of them combining a trek with flights between Kathmandu, Lukla and higher settlements. For them, helicopter flights are a routine part of the journey, and Tuesday's collision is a reminder of the risks that come with flying in the high mountains.
As investigators begin their work, officials have urged patience, noting that the full picture will only emerge once both aircraft have been examined and the accounts of the pilots, ground staff and witnesses have been recorded. The cause of the crash is being investigated, and further details are expected in the coming days.
(Reporting based on India Today, Deccan Herald, NDTV and WION.)