Kathmandu [Nepal], July 12: All six people aboard a helicopter died after it crashed near Mount Everest on Tuesday, police said.
The wreckage of the Manang Air helicopter was found around the Lamjura Pass in the Khumbu region, home to Mount Everest, according to police spokesman Kuber Kadayat. The helicopter disappeared shortly after taking off from a helipad in Solukhumbu district, en route to Kathmandu.
"The deceased include a Nepali pilot and five Mexican nationals, three of whom are female," Kadayat told dpa.
The cause of the crash remains unclear. Reuters reported that Manang Air caters to tourists wanting a view of Nepal's peaks, including Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain. It set off from Solukhumbu district, where Everest is situated, at 10.05am local time (12.20am ET) on Tuesday, heading for the capital, Kathmandu, according to a statement issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. The helicopter lost contact less than 10 minutes later, at 10.13am, and was later found crashed in Solukhumbu's rural municipality of Likhupike, according to the authority.
It added that locals and police who reached the crash site found the bodies of all on board. Search and rescue teams are on site to collect the bodies, which will be brought to Kathmandu, Kadayat added.
"All six bodies have been located. We are now starting the process to take them to Kathmandu. It will take some time because it means travelling by road from the crash site and then flying to Kathmandu," an official told CNN.
Source: Qatar Tribune