Two helicopters operated by Fishtail Air and Dynasty Air collided while landing near Mount Everest base camp in Nepal on Tuesday, killing an Indian national and injuring a New Zealander, according to reports from SCMP and Dawn. The Everest helicopter collision is one of the most serious incidents reported in the region this season.
SCMP reported that the two small helicopters crashed into each other as both came in to land on a snowy site in Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning. Dawn reported that the incident took place in the base camp area of Mount Everest, according to Solukhumbu chief district officer Kaman Singh Thapa Magar, who spoke to Reuters.
Magar said the New Zealander has been rescued. Dawn reported that authorities said an Indian national was killed when the two helicopters collided as they prepared to land.
Fishtail Air said in a statement that its helicopter was carrying passengers rescued from the Everest region when it crashed while landing. A Fishtail official said the Indian and the New Zealander on board were tourists. A Dynasty Air official said its helicopter was carrying only cargo, according to Dawn. These accounts have not been reconciled.
Helicopters are widely used in the Himalayas because there are few roads. They carry tourists, climbers and supplies, and they are used for emergency evacuations. SCMP reported that Nepal’s challenging terrain and rapidly changing weather make aviation operations particularly hazardous. The accident comes during peak trekking season, when helicopters ferry hikers and climbers in the region.
Dawn also reported that six people were killed last week in a helicopter crash in India’s Uttarakhand state. That incident was separate from the Everest collision.
Several key details remain unconfirmed. The death toll and injuries rest on the district officer’s account, and no independent confirmation has been reported. Al Jazeera was available only as a headline and short excerpt, so its details could not be checked beyond its report of an Indian tourist’s death. No cause of the collision has been reported, and no victims’ names or the New Zealander’s condition have been given. The sources also differ on the operator’s name, with SCMP using Air Dynasty and Dawn using Dynasty Air. No statement from Nepali aviation authorities has been included.
The sources do not report any investigation, inquiry or regulatory response to the collision.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.