6 People Dead in Mount Everest Helicopter Crash

A helicopter crash near Mount Everest in Nepal claimed the lives of six people on Monday, according to local officials

A helicopter crash near Mount Everest in Nepal has claimed the lives of six people, according to local officials.

The incident happened Tuesday morning while the Menang Air helicopter was flying back from a scenic tour of the world’s largest peak to the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, reported Time.

Airport official Sagar Kadel added that prior to this the weather had forced the pilot to alter the helicopter's original flight path, per the outlet.

“Manang Air helicopter 9N-AMV (AS50) which went missing this morning at 10:13 Local Time, found crashed at Solukhumbu district Likhupike, Ward No. 5 near Lamjura,” Pratap Babu Tiwari, General Manager of TIACAO said in a statement, posted on Twitter. "Locals and the police who reached the crashed site reported all 6 persons including Pilot dead."

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Tiwari also named the six people on board as Nepalese Captain C.B. Gurung and Mexican tourists Sifuentes G. Fernando, Gonzalez Abric, Gonzalez Olacio Luz, Sifuentes G. Maria Jose and Rincon Ismael.

The civil aviation regulator said the reason for the crash is still unclear and a committee would launch an investigation, according to The Express Tribune

"The bodies have broken into pieces," Sita Adhikari, a regional official in the district of Solukhumbu, said, per the outlet. "More police have been sent to the location. Only then will we know details."

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Manang Air spokesperson Raju Neupane added: "The helicopter took off ... in good weather. The weather was not bad. Now we can't say what caused the crash. It will have to be investigated."

In contrast, Tiwari said in his statement that when two Altitude Air helicopters departed for search-and-rescue, they were unable to land at the site of the crash due to “adverse weather." They instead "landed at Bhakanje of same district, which is the nearest appropriate place to the crash site."

"Efforts are being made to carry the dead bodies by ground transportation to the helicopter landing area and further to Kathmandu," he continued, adding "Another helicopter of Simrik Air is also being mobilized for the rescue operation."

In an updated statement posted on Twitter, the Tribhuvan International Airport Civil Aviation Office said "All six dead bodies have been air lifted to Kathmandu Teaching hospital for post-mortem."

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According to its website, Manang Air offers various "Heli Tours" and flights to see “the finest destinations ranging from Everest region, the pilgrimage flight to the holy Muktinath, Langtang Valley, Lumbini – the birth place of Lord Buddha and much more.”

“No place is off limits and we can go wherever you fancy,” they add. “That is the freedom flying gives you.”

The accident follows the crash of a passenger plane in the tourist city of Pokhara in January, which killed 71 people. It was the worst air tragedy in Nepal in 30 years, Forbes reported. Since 2000, more than 350 people have died in air accidents in Nepal, added the outlet.

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