Two helicopters collide near Mount Everest base camp, killing one

At least one person was killed and two others injured after two helicopters collided while attempting to land near Mount Everest’s base camp in Nepal on Tuesday, officials said.

The helicopters were transporting trekkers returning from the Everest base camp route during Nepal’s popular autumn trekking season when the crash occurred at Pheriche village, located at an altitude of 4,200 metres.

Bhupendra Thapa, an official at the Solukhumbhu district administration, said a 47-year-old tourist from India was killed in the collision.

A passenger from New Zealand was injured and was being taken to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, for treatment, while a Nepali pilot who also sustained injuries was treated locally.

The number of people aboard the two helicopters was not immediately clear.

The aircraft were ferrying trekkers who had been hiking towards Everest base camp.

Heavy snowfall had covered the trekking route before weather conditions improved on Sunday, allowing thousands of visitors to resume their journeys.

Helicopters play a vital role in evacuating trekkers and guides who fall ill or become exhausted because of the freezing temperatures and high altitude, as there are no roads in the Everest region.

The trek from Lukla, the area’s only airstrip, to the base camp, which sits at an altitude of 5,300 metres, can take up to two weeks.

The route attracts large numbers of trekkers during autumn, following the rainy season and ahead of the harsh winter months.