5 Mexicans, Nepali pilot killed in helicopter crash near Mt Everest in Nepal

All six people including five members of a Mexican family were killed in a fiery crash of a private commercial helicopter near Mount Everest in eastern Nepal on Tuesday a senior airport official saidThe Manang Air NAMV chopper took off from Surke Airport in Solukhumbu district at 1004 am for Kathmandu and suddenly lost contact at an altitude above 12000 feet at 1013 am said Gyanendra Bhul Manager at Tribhuvan International Airport TIAThe helicopter crashed in the Lamjura area of Likhupike Rural Municipality in the remote mountainous Solukhumbu districtTIA spokesperson Tkeknath Sitaula said all six bodies were found at the crash site during a search operationThey were returning to Kathmandu from Surke after enjoying a mountain flight The flight was conducted from Lukla the gateway to Mount Everest Sitaula saidAccording to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal locals and the police who reached the crashed site reported all 6 persons including the pilot deadTwo helicopters of Altitude Air mobilised for the rescue operations could not land at the crash site due to adverse weather condition it said in a statement adding that the helicopters have now landed at Bhakanje of same district which is the nearest appropriate place to the crash siteLocals and security agencies have also been mobilised for the rescue works Efforts are being made to carry the dead bodies by ground transportation to the helicopter landing area and further to Kathmandu it saidAll six people aboard the chopper have died in the accident The Kathmandu Post newspaper quoted operation and safety manager of Manang Air Raju Neupane as sayingSix people including Captain Chet Bahadur Gurung and five Mexican nationals were aboard the aircraft the official saidPolice have established the identities of the deceased District police chief Dipak Shrestha said adding the accident is believed to have been caused due to bad weatherAll five foreign passengers are members of a Mexican family They have been identified as Sifuentes G Fernando 95 and Sifuentes Rincon Ismail 98 both males along with three females Sifuentes Gongalez Abril 72 Gongalez Olacio Luz 65 and Sifuentes G Maria Jese 52 MyRepublica news portal reportedEarlier a senior official at TIA said locals informed him that the helicopter crashed with a loud explosion and they saw fire at the crash siteThe locals discovered the crashed helicopter at Chihandanda said rural municipality deputy chair Nwang LhakpaThe last location of the chopper was tracked at 1012 am in the Lamjura Pass area said NeupaneNepals tourist and mountaineering season ended in May The flights carrying tourists to the mountains are less common this time of year as visibility is poor and weather conditions fickleFounded in 1997 Manang Air is a helicopter airline based in Kathmandu It has been operating helicopters in commercial air transportation within the Nepalese territory under the Regulation of the Civil Aviation Authority of NepalThe company provides chartered services and is focused on personalised services such as adventure flights helicopter excursions or expedition workThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever