Two helicopters collided while attempting to land just below Mount Everest base camp in Nepal.
The accident happened at about 8:12 a.m. Tuesday in the Pheriche area of Solukhumbu District, according to a translated press release from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). The helicopters were identified as an Air Dynasty aircraft and a Fishtail Air aircraft, the aviation authority said.
Two foreign tourists were aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter. One of them, 47-year-old Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu of Chennai, India, died in the accident, according to CAAN.
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The other tourist, New Zealand national Shailesh Kisan Patel, was injured, along with at least one pilot involved in the collision, the authority said.
Those injured in the collision were admitted to a hospital in Kathmandu for further treatment, according to the aviation authority.
CAAN has opened an investigation into the accident and will determine whether corrective action is needed based on its findings.
Fishtail Air said its helicopter crashed during landing while transporting passengers rescued from the Everest region, Reuters reported.
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The Air Dynasty helicopter was carrying only cargo, an official with the company told Reuters.
Helicopters are a key form of transportation around Everest, where there are no roads. They are used to evacuate trekkers and guides suffering from illness or exhaustion amid the region’s cold temperatures and high altitude, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Pheriche, where the accident occurred, sits about 13,780 feet above sea level and is located below Everest base camp, the AP reported.
The collision also came after heavy snow had covered trekking routes in the region.
Conditions improved Sunday, allowing thousands of trekkers to begin moving through the area again, according to the outlet.
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Nepal has faced other major travel and safety challenges in recent months.
In September, about 70 Americans remained unaccounted for following catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-China border, while 18 Americans had been confirmed safe, Fox News Digital previously reported.
The flooding was triggered by an Aug. 26 glacier collapse and caused widespread destruction, including flash floods and landslides. Rescue crews were searching areas, including hydropower project tunnels, where workers were believed to be trapped.
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U.S. officials warned Americans at the time not to travel to the disaster zone because of the continued threat of additional flash floods and landslides.
At least 1,399 people across Nepal and China’s Tibet region died in the disaster, with more than 5,400 others still missing at the time of the report.
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Fox News’ Gillian Turner, as well as Sophia Compton of Fox News Digital, contributed reporting.
