Nepal: 5 Foreign Nationals On Board Killed In Crash Near Mount Everest

The wreckage of a private commercial helicopter that went missing near the Mount Everest area in Nepal earlier today, has been found, officials said.

Officials said five bodies have also been recovered from the site.

"The helicopter has been found at the border of Likhu PK village council and Dudhkunda Municipality-2 commonly called Lamajura Danda. The villagers have retrieved the five bodies," Koshi Province Police DIG Rajeshnath Bastola told ANI.

"Manang Air helicopter 9N-AMV (AS 50) which departed from Surke (Solukhumbu) to Kathmandu at 10:05 local time is out of contact. Total persons on board: 6 (5 passengers + 1 captain)." tweeted Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

As per the police, the helicopter seems to have hit a tree on the hilltop."Identities of the retrieved bodies are yet to be ascertained," Bastola added.

The passengers aboard the helicopter are reported to be five Mexican nationals, whose identities have yet to be disclosed and pilot senior captain Chet B Gurung, PTI reported citing Himalayan Times newspaper.

The official said the locals have informed him that the helicopter crashed with a loud explosion and they saw fire at the crash site.

"The locals discovered the crashed helicopter at Chihandanda," rural municipality deputy chair Nwang Lhakpa was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post newspaper. The last location of the chopper was tracked at 10:12 am in the Lamjura Pass area, said Raju Neupane, operation and safety manager of Manang Air.

Reportedly, two helicopters sent earlier to locate the crash site had to return due to bad weather, the senior airport official said, adding that the exact reason behind the crash is not known yet.

Five Mexican nationals and pilot Chet B Gurung were aboard the helicopter. According to MyRepublica news portal citing sources, the bodies of five of the six people on board the helicopter were found at the crash site.

Founded in 1997, Manang Air is a helicopter airline based in Kathmandu. It has been operating helicopters in commercial air transportation within the Nepalese territory under the Regulation of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

The company provides chartered services and is focused on personalised services such as adventure flights helicopter excursions or expedition work.