Five people have been killed and a sixth is missing after the crash this Tuesday of a helicopter carrying tourists near Mount Everest, Nepal, according to local authorities.
Basanta Bhattarai, the chief government official in the region, said rescue teams had recovered five bodies in the Lamajura area, where the helicopter crashed, and were looking for a sixth person.
The helicopter was carrying five tourists on a sightseeing tour of the world’s highest mountain and returning to the capital, Kathmandu.
The tourists will be Mexican nationals, while the pilot was Nepali.
An airport official said weather conditions forced the helicopter to change flight paths.
Flights are often delayed and itineraries are changed during the monsoon season due to heavy rainfall.
The tourist and mountaineering season ended in May with the onset of the rainy season and tourist flights to the mountains are not common at this time of year as visibility becomes poor and weather conditions are unpredictable.
Source: DN
