The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has confirmed that an Airbus H125 helicopter, operated by Manang Air, crashed near Lamjura Pass in the Mount Everest region on July 11. All six people on board the sightseeing flight were killed, including the pilot and five tourists from Mexico, according to local authorities.
The single-engine aircraft departed from Surke Airport in the Solukhumbu district at 10.04 a.m. local time, bound for the capital Kathmandu, but lost contact at an altitude above 12,000 feet at 10.13 a.m. The aircraft—registered as 9N-AMV—was delivered to the Nepalese charter operator in February 2018.
Two search and rescue helicopters operated by Altitude Air were immediately dispatched but had to land at Bhakanje village due to severe weather conditions. A third helicopter operated by Simrik Air is also involved in the recovery operation.
Meanwhile, emergency personnel and police have reached the crash site near Lamjura in Ward No. 5 of Solukhumbu and have recovered the bodies of those killed in the accident. "Efforts are being made to transport the bodies by ground to the helicopter landing area and then to Kathmandu," CAAN said in a statement.
The crash marks the second fatal air accident in Nepal this year after a twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft operated by Yeti Airlines crashed in Pokhara, claiming the lives of all 72 people on board.