Nepal helicopter crash LIVE: Bodies of all 6 foreign nationals aboard found

A helicopter operated by Manang Air, which was transporting foreign tourists from the Mount Everest region in Nepal, went missing on Tuesday, and authorities lost contact with the aircraft.

The helicopter was carrying five foreign tourists who were on a sightseeing tour of the world’s highest peak. It was scheduled to return to Kathmandu, the capital city, on Tuesday morning. Airport official Sagar Kadel mentioned that due to unfavorable weather conditions, the helicopter had to alter its flight route, news agency AP reported.

Follow all the updates here:

• Jul 11, 2023 01:59 PM IST

  Bodies of all 6 foreign nationals aboard found

  Bodies of all the six foreign nationals including five Mexicans who were aboard the crahsed Manang Air helicopter have been found, AFP reported citing civil aviation authority of Nepal.

• Jul 11, 2023 01:41 PM IST

  Plane crash in Janurary this year killed 71

  In January of this year, a tragic plane crash in Nepal killed 71 people. It was the country’s most devastating airplane accident in three decades, occurring near the popular tourist destination of Pokhara.

• Jul 11, 2023 01:33 PM IST

  Things to know about Nepalese helicopter operator Manang Air

   The chopper that killed six foreign nationals including five Mexicans is owned by Manang Air that operates helicopters in commercial air transportation within the Nepalese territory under the Regulation of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

• Jul 11, 2023 01:23 PM IST

  Who was pilot of this crashed helicopter?

  Captain Chet Bahadur Gurung was piloting the Manang Air helicopter that went missing and subsequently crashed on Tuesday morning. He has been with Manang Air for a decade and has been flying since 1998, according to epardafas.com, a Nepalese media company.

• Jul 11, 2023 01:17 PM IST

  Crashed helicopter wreckage recovered

  The wreckage of crashed Nepalese helicopter has been recovered, ANI reported citing police. “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 was quoted as saying by ANI.

• Jul 11, 2023 01:11 PM IST

  Who were aboard the crashed Nepalese helicopter?

  The missing Nepalese helicopter carried five Mexican nationals and pilot Chet B Gurung. As per MyRepublica news portal citing sources, the remains of five out of the six individuals on the helicopter were found at the location of the crash. (Inputs from PTI)

• Jul 11, 2023 01:06 PM IST

  Locals informed about the crash

  The helicopter crashed in the Lamjura area of Likhupike Rural Municipality in the remote and mountainous Solukhumbu district. According to an official, local residents reported that the helicopter crashed with a loud explosion, and they witnessed a fire at the crash site.

  “The locals discovered the crashed helicopter at Chihandanda,” rural municipality deputy chair Nwang Lhakpa was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post newspaper. (PTI)

• Jul 11, 2023 01:04 PM IST

  Where did the helicopter lose its contact?

  Operation and safety manager of Manang Air said that the last location of the chopper was tracked at 10:12 am in the Lamjura Pass area. (PTI)

• Jul 11, 2023 01:01 PM IST

  At least 5 foreign nationals on board killed in crash near Mount Everest

  At least five foreign nationals on board killed as the tourist helicopter operated by Manang Air crashes after losing contact on Tuesday morning.

• Jul 11, 2023 12:55 PM IST

  Civil aviation of Nepal tweet about missing chopper
• Jul 11, 2023 12:50 PM IST

  Chopper operated by Manang Air helicopter

  The missing helicopter was operated by Manang Air, a commercial air transportation within the Nepalese territory.

• Jul 11, 2023 12:32 PM IST

  Six, including five Mexicans, missing, crash feared

  Helicopter with six foreign nationals on board including five Mexicans crashed after it was reported missing near the Mount Everest area, Reuters reported.

• Jul 11, 2023 12:30 PM IST

  Where was the chopper coming from?

  The chopper was coming from Surke in Solukhunvhu district, home to Mount Everest and other high mountain peaks. It went missing near a place called Likkhu.

• Jul 11, 2023 12:13 PM IST

  Initial media reports say there are 5 ‘Mexican nationals’ on board

  The passengers aboard the helicopter are reported to be five Mexican nationals, whose identities have yet to be disclosed and pilot senior captain Chet B Gurung, PTI reported citing Himalayan Times newspaper.

• Jul 11, 2023 12:02 PM IST

  6 reportedly onboard including 5 foreign nationals missing

  A Manang Air helicopter with six people aboard went missing near Mount Everest in Nepal on Tuesday. The chopper had taken off from Surki in Solukhumbu for the capital Kathmandu at 9:45 am, the Kathmandu Post newspaper quoted Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Information Officer Gyanendra Bhul as saying. (PTI)