Helicopter with five tourists on board including two men aged 95 and 98 crashes near Mount Everest
11 July 2023, 07:40 | Updated: 11 July 2023, 08:53
A helicopter with six people on board has crashed in Nepal near Mount Everest.
The aircraft was carrying five tourists as well as its pilot when it disappeared from radar at 10.12am local time on Tuesday, officials said.
The helicopter's wreckage and five bodies were later found in the Lamjura Pass, in the Solukhumbu district in eastern Nepal.
The group had taken the flight, operated by Manang Air based in Kathmandu, from the mountainous district in eastern Nepal to the capital Kathmandu.
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The helicopter was piloted by a senior captain Chet Gurung, the Himalayan Times reports.
Initial reports suggest the group on board were tourists from Mexico.
According to police, the helicopter crashed from an altitude of approximately 3500 meters above sea level.
"Five bodies have been recovered from the accident site and search operation is underway," police said.
All five passengers are members of a Mexican family. They have been identified as Sifuentes G. Fernando, 95, Sifuentes Rincon Ismail, 98, and three women: Sifuentes Gongalez Abril, 72, Gongalez Olacio Luz, 65, and Sifuentes G. Maria Jese, 52.
