Kathmandu — A 47-year-old Indian tourist was killed and three others were injured after helicopters operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty collided while attempting to land at the Pheriche helipad in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-4, Solukhumbu, on Tuesday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, a resident of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He was travelling aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter and died in the accident. His body was later transported to Lukla.
The injured include 49-year-old Shailesh Kumar Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, and the pilots of both helicopters. Patel was travelling on the Fishtail Air helicopter and was airlifted to Nepal Mediciti Hospital in Lalitpur for further treatment.
The pilots have been identified as Rabindra Prajapati of Fishtail Air and Prajal K.C. of Air Dynasty. Prajapati was taken to Kathmandu for treatment, while Prajal K.C. received medical care at Pasang Lhamu–Nicole Niquille Hospital in Lukla. His condition has been reported as stable.
The collision occurred at around 8:11 a.m. while the helicopters were attempting to land at Pheriche, which sits at an altitude of approximately 4,371 metres and serves as an important stop for trekkers and climbers travelling through the Everest region.
The Air Dynasty helicopter, registration 9N-AOD, had reportedly flown from Lukla carrying cargo, while the Fishtail Air helicopter, registration 9N-AJR, had arrived from Gorakshep carrying two foreign passengers.
Preliminary information indicates that the helicopters’ rotor blades struck each other during the landing manoeuvre. However, authorities have not yet established the precise cause of the collision.
Emergency teams responded to the incident and coordinated the evacuation of the injured. Authorities are continuing to investigate the accident and gather further information about the circumstances surrounding the collision.
The incident has again drawn attention to aviation safety in the Everest region, where helicopters are regularly used for tourism, transportation, rescue and emergency evacuation operations.
