Helicopter crashes in Everest, pilot safe

A helicopter belonging to private airlines, Altitude Air, crash-landed in Lobuche, near the Mt. Everest region, on Wednesday morning. However, the only person on the helicopter, pilot Vivek Khadka survived the accident, according to a police officer at Solukhumbu District Police Office. According to the police the chopper, piloted by Captain Khadka, slipped due to heavy snow fall in the area while attempting to land.

The helicopter was flown from Lukla, the gate way to the Everest, heading towards Lobuche in order to rescue stranded people in the area. The pilot has been airlifted through another helicopter and taken to Lukla for medical examination and his condition is said to be safe. The chopper, which had taken off from Lukla without passengers, was on a mission to rescue stranded tourists in Lobuche when the incident occurred. The pilot didn’t suffer any major injury though the chopper broke into two pieces, according to the police.

Many trekkers have been stranded in mountain areas including Mustang, Annapurna region and Everest region on Tuesday and Wednesday due to heavy snow fall. The authorities have asked trekkers and mountaineers to take precaution as Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has forecast heavy snow fall and rain in different parts of the country including the mountain region.