Two Helicopters Collide While Landing Near Everest Base Camp, Killing One

Two helicopters operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty collided while trying to land at the Pheriche helipad in Ward 4, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Solukhumbu district, on Tuesday morning. One foreign national died on the spot. Accounts said the rotor blades struck each other during the landing. Both pilots had minor injuries and were taken to Kathmandu. The body of the deceased was transported to a hospital in Lukla. Solukhumbu District Police Chief Nabin Raja Budhathoki said a foreigner died on the spot. Police official Mausam Tamang confirmed the incident. DSP Suraj Pandey said the aircraft collided while attempting to land around 8:15 a.m.; the District Police Office put the time at about 8:11 a.m. The Statesman reported both affected passengers were on the Fishtail Air helicopter and identified the dead man as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, 47, of Chennai, and the injured man as Shailesh Krishna Patel, 49, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, later flown by Prabhu Helicopter to Nepal Mediciti Hospital in Lalitpur. Business Upturn said the injured person was airlifted to Lukla on a Prabhu Air helicopter for initial treatment and that the deceased's identity was not yet established. Another account described serious injuries to a pilot. Reports differed on how many people were injured. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal began an investigation. The cause had not been determined.