Kathmandu: A 47-year-old Indian national lost his life after two helicopters collided while attempting to land in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning. The accident occurred at Pheriche in Ward 4 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, a popular stop on the route to the Mount Everest Base Camp. According to Nepal Police, the helicopters, operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty, collided at around 8:11 a.m. local time, triggering an emergency rescue operation.

Police identified the deceased as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, who was travelling aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter. Another passenger, Shailesh Krishna Patel, a 49-year-old Indian-origin resident of New Zealand, sustained injuries in the crash and was airlifted to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment. The pilots of both helicopters, Rabindra Prajapati of Fishtail Air and Prajwal KC of Air Dynasty, were also injured and shifted to Kathmandu for medical care.

Authorities have transported the victim’s body to a hospital in Lukla, while an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the collision. Police said the exact number of passengers on board both helicopters is still being verified, and additional details will be released after the inquiry progresses. The incident has raised fresh concerns over aviation safety in Nepal’s mountainous regions, where helicopter services are frequently used for tourism, rescue missions, and transportation.