KATHMANDU: A mid-air helicopter collision below the Mount Everest base camp in Nepal killed one Indian tourist and injured two other individuals on Tuesday.
The accident occurred at approximately 8:11 am as two aircraft operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty attempted to land near Pheriche village in the Solukhumbu district. Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, a 47-year-old tourist from India, died in the crash.
A New Zealand tourist identified as Shailesh Krishna Patel sustained injuries and was airlifted to Kathmandu for medical treatment, while a Nepali pilot received local treatment for injuries.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the Fishtail Air helicopter was transporting two foreign passengers from Gorakshep, whereas the Air Dynasty aircraft was operating a cargo flight from Lukla.
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Preliminary reports indicate potential communication difficulties between pilots as the remote location falls outside Lukla Airport air traffic control coverage.
(With additional input from Reuters)
