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The bodies of six individuals who went missing near Mount Everest in Nepal have been recovered after the Manang Air chopper crashed at Lamjura of Likhupike Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu district on Tuesday. According to initial media accounts, all foreign nationals on board were Mexicans.
The helicopter has been found at the border of Likhu PK village council and Dudhkunda Municipality-2 commonly called Lamajura Danda. The villagers have retrieved the five bodies,” Koshi province police DIG Rajeshnath Bastola told news agency ANI. The helicopter seems to have hit a tree on the hilltop, the police said.
“Identities of the retrieved bodies are yet to be ascertained,” Bastola added.
According to the Kathmandu Post, the location is located between Lukla and Phaplu. According to the outlet, the chopper was found crashed in Chihandanda in Lamjura of Bhakanje village, citing rural municipality deputy chair Nwang Lhakpa Sherpa.
“The chopper was en route to Kathmandu from Solukhumbu and got disconnected with the control tower at around 10am,” information officer Gyanendra Bhul earlier said. The helicopter with the call sign 9NMV got off the radar at 10:12am (Local Time).
“…Total persons on board: 6 (5 passengers + 1 captain). Altitude Air helicopter departed from Kathmandu for search and rescue,” tweeted the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
The helicopter, operated by the Kathmandu-based private company Manang Air, was transporting five foreign visitors from the high Solukhumbu district in eastern Nepal to the capital Kathmandu.
According to authorities at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, the helicopter was piloted by senior captain Chet Gurung.
A complete report is still pending as a rescue operation is ongoing, according to a top TIA official.
According to the official, people informed him that the helicopter crashed with a loud explosion and that they witnessed fire at the crash site.
Local police have been dispatched to the scene. Due to terrible weather, two helicopters sent earlier to find the crash site had to return, according to a senior airport official, adding that the exact reason behind the crash is not known yet.
According to MyRepublica news portal citing sources, the bodies of five of the six people on board the helicopter were found at the crash site.
Earlier, TIA spokesperson Teknath Sitaula told My Republica news website, “It has been reported that the helicopter of Manang Air is out of contact, there is no contact with the tower when it reached the Lamjura pass, it was reported that the helicopter only received a ‘hello’ message on Viber, the search is underway”.
What we know about Manang Air?
According to MyRepublica news portal citing sources, the bodies of five of the six people on board the helicopter were found at the crash site.
Manang Air is a helicopter airline based in Kathmandu that was founded in 1997. It has been flying helicopters in commercial air transportation within Nepalese territory under the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s Regulation.
The organization offers chartered services and specializes in individualized services such as adventure flights, helicopter tours, and expedition activities.
Source:HT
