Nepal: All six on board, including five Mexicans, die in helicopter crash near Mount Everest

A government official said that all six on board, including five Mexican nationals, died in a helicopter crash in Nepal on Tuesday (July 11). A Kathmandu airport official told news agency Reuters that rescuers have located five bodies and are looking for the sixth one. 

The Kathmandu Times reported that the Manang Air helicopter, that lost contact, crashed at Lamjura of Likhupike Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu district, the area that lies between Jiri and Phaplu. 

The identity of six people is not known yet, but as per the local media outlet, Raju Neupane, who is the operation and safety manager of Manang Air, identified the pilot as Captain Chet Bahadur Gurung. 

Neupane said that an Altitude Air chopper along with security officials has reached the incident site. It was mobilised in the area of Lamjura Pass for the search and rescue of the missing chopper. 

Information Officer Gyanendra Bhul provided further details as he said that the chopper was en route to Kathmandu from Solukhumbu and got disconnected from the control tower at around 10:00am (local time) in the morning. 

The rural municipality deputy chair Nwang Lhakpa Sherpa said that the locals found the crashed chopper at Chihandanda in Lamjura of Bhakanje village. 

Sherpa told the outlet: "The locals discovered the crashed helicopter at Chihandanda." 

Previously, Kathmandu airport official Teknath Sitoula told Reuters that the chopper was coming from Surke in Solukhunvhu district, home to Mount Everest and other high mountain peaks.