Mid-air helicopter collision on Nepal’s Everest kills Indian tourist

An Indian tourist was killed and a New Zealand national injured when two helicopters collided and crashed while attempting to land in Nepal’s Everest region on Tuesday, police said.

There are few roads in the Himalayas, and helicopters are widely used to transport tourists, climbers and supplies, as well as carry out emergency evacuations. Nepal’s challenging terrain and rapidly changing weather make aviation operations particularly hazardous.

The small helicopters operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty crashed into each other as both came in to land on a snowy site in Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning.

⁠Fishtail Air said in a ‌statement that its helicopter was carrying passengers who had been rescued ‌from ‌the Everest region when it crashed while ‌landing. The Indian and the New Zealander ⁠on board were tourists, a Fishtail official said.

A Dynasty Air official said its helicopter was carrying only cargo.

“The 47-year-old Indian tourist died on the spot,” said Nabin Raja Budhathoki, in charge of Solukhumbu District Police. “The injured 53-year-old citizen … from New Zealand has been airlifted to Kathmandu for further treatment.”

Arrangements were also being made to airlift the body of the deceased to the capital Kathmandu. Both of the pilots survived the accident. The helicopters crashed at Pheriche village, which is at 4,200 metres (13,800 feet) altitude.

The accident ‌comes during the ‌peak trekking season in Nepal, right after the rainy season and before the harsh winter months.

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, and attracts thousands of foreign climbers and trekkers every year.