Six people, including five Mexican nationals, were killed Tuesday in a helicopter crash near Mount Everest in Nepal, according to government officials, in an incident that is likely to once again raise questions about the safety standards of aviation in the country.
FILE PHOTO: The helicopter had completed a sightseeing tour of Mount Everest just before it crashed.
According to Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, the helicopter operated by Manang Air crashed in the Lamjura area, which is located around 40 miles from Mount Everest.
The helicopter was being flown by a Nepalese pilot, while the five passengers on board were Mexican nations who were on a sightseeing trip to see the world’s tallest mountain peak, the Associated Press reported.
The crash happened when the aircraft was returning to the national capital Kathmandu after finishing the sightseeing trip.
Local authorities have recovered all six bodies, which “have broken into pieces,” Reuters reported.
The helicopter had been forced to change its flight path due to bad weather, although it is unclear if this contributed to the accident, the AP report added.
Manang Air’s website promotes several different ‘Heli Tours’ and aerial sightseeing tours of “the finest destinations ranging from Everest region, the pilgrimage flight to the holy Muktinath, Langtang Valley, Lumbini – the birth place of Lord Buddha and much more.” The promotional page, which doesn’t mention any details about pricing, adds: “No place is off limits and we can go wherever you fancy. That is the freedom flying gives you.”