Helicopter with 6 on board crashes minutes after takeoff in Himalayan mountains as cops find five bodies among wreckage
A HELICOPTER with six people on board has crashed near Mount Everest.
The chopper – carrying five foreign tourists and the pilot – vanished just minutes after taking off from the mountainous Solukhumba district in Nepal.
It dropped off the radar at 10.13am local time at an altitude above 12,000 feet over the Himalayan mountains – moments after departing at 10.05am.
The helicopter was carrying foreign nationals on a sightseeing tour to the world’s highest peak and was returning to the capital, Kathmandu, on Tuesday morning.
Five Mexican nationals and a Nepali pilot were on board the chopper, Kathmandu airport official Teknath Sitoula said.
A huge search effort was launched involving another helicopter in the skies and police and soldiers on the ground.
Cops have confirmed the wreckage of the aircraft has been found, with five bodies discovered so far, reports Khabarhub.
The chopper was operated by private company Manang Air and was heading for Kathmandu from Solukhumba – home to Mount Everest and other high mountain peaks – when it lost contact.
Airport official Sagar Kadel said weather conditions had caused changes to be made to the helicopter’s planned flight route.
It is common for flights to be delayed and routes changed during the monsoon season amid heavy rains.
The tourist and mountaineering season ended in May with the onset of the rainy season.
Tourist flights to the mountains are less common this time of year as visibility is poor and weather conditions become unpredictable.