Daijiworld Media Network - Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Nov 3: A 47-year-old Indian national was killed and three others injured when two helicopters collided while landing at Pheriche in Nepal's Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning, police said.

The collision involving helicopters operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty occurred at around 8.11 am at Pheriche in Ward 4 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, according to the District Police Office, Solukhumbu.

Police Inspector Mausam Tamang identified the deceased as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, an Indian national travelling aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter.

Another passenger, Shailesh Krishna Patel, a 49-year-old New Zealand resident of Indian origin, sustained injuries in the incident. He was airlifted to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu by a Prabhu Helicopter, Tamang said.

The pilots of the two helicopters, Rabindra Prajapati of Fishtail Air and Prajwal KC of Air Dynasty, were also injured. Both were taken to Kathmandu for further treatment.

The body of Balaramaramadu has been shifted to a hospital in Lukla.

Pheriche is located along the route to the Mount Everest Base Camp, around 150 km northeast of Kathmandu.

Police said the exact number of passengers aboard the two helicopters at the time of the collision was yet to be confirmed. Further details of the incident were being gathered.