A tourist helicopter crashed near Mount Everest in Nepal this morning, killing five tourists on board. The bodies and the wreckage were found around three hours after the helicopter went missing.
The private chopper, carrying five Mexican nationals, had crashed at Lamjura in the mountainous Solukhumbu district shortly after the takeoff, officials said.
The Manang Air NA-MV chopper had taken off from the Surke Airport at 10.04 am for Kathmandu, and it lost contact at around 10.12 am," said , Gyanendra Bhul, Manager, Tribhuvan International Airport.
The helicopter is believed to have hit a tree on the hill top, which may have led to the crash. Two helicopters were sent to locate the missing helicopter, but they had to return because of bad weather.
Local people told the police they heard a loud explosion when the chopper crashed at Chihandanda in Lamjura area.
Rescue team reached the crash site after people alerted police officers.
An investigation has been launched to ascertain the exact cause of the crash, said aviation officials.
Founded in 1997, Manang Air, provides chartered services in Nepal and is focused on personalised services such as adventure flights.
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