Indian tourist killed as two helicopters collide near Everest base camp in Nepal
An Indian tourist died when two helicopters collided while landing in Pheriche, Nepal, about 12 km from Everest Base Camp. Another passenger and a pilot were injured.
An Indian tourist has died in Nepal after two helicopters collided as they were landing near the base camp of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. Two officials confirmed the death to the BBC. The crash took place in Pheriche, roughly 12 kilometres (7 miles) south of Everest Base Camp.
How the collision happened
Verified footage shows the rotor blades of the two aircraft clipping each other as they came in to land. It happened at about 08:15 local time (02:30 GMT).
Casualties
Helicopter operator Fishtail Air identified the dead man as Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu. The company said one of its helicopters was involved, and that another passenger and the helicopter's captain were injured.
In a statement, Fishtail Air said the injured passengers and crew were rescued and taken to Kathmandu. Bhupendra Thapa, an official of Solukhumbu district, told BBC Nepal that the injured passenger was a tourist from New Zealand.
The second helicopter
The other helicopter was run by Air Dynasty and was carrying cargo, the company said. It was flown by a single crew member, who was not hurt.
