The chopper crashed in Likhupike Rural Municipality within the distant mountainous Solukhumbu district.

Kathmandu:

The 5 Mexican nationals killed in a helicopter crash in japanese Nepal close to Mount Everest on Tuesday visited India earlier than touring the Himalayan nation for sightseeing.

The Manang Air helicopter 9N-AMV took off from Surke Airport in Solukhumbu district at 10:04 am for Kathmandu on Tuesday and instantly misplaced contact at an altitude above 12,000 ft at 10:13 am.

The helicopter crashed within the Lamjura space of Likhupike Rural Municipality within the distant mountainous Solukhumbu district.

The lifeless pilot has been recognized as Captain CB Gurung, a Nepali nationwide. The 5 passengers killed within the crash – all of them Mexican nationals – have been recognized as Fernando Sifuentes (95), Abril Sifuentes Gonzalez (72), Luz Gonzalez Olacio (65), Maria Jose Sifuentes (52) and Ismael Rincon (98).

The household additionally visited India as one of many victims, Abril Sifuentes Gonzalez, on July 5 posted a photograph of herself on a social media platform in entrance of the Taj Mahal days earlier than the accident.

Mexico’s Ambassador to India Federico Salas mentioned that the victims have been relations initially from Nuevo Leon, in line with Mexican News Daily.

“It was a family of five people, in effect, who were tourists. They went to Nepal. (…) They were a father and mother and three children. (…) The parents and children were adults, they were not little ones”, Salas was quoted as saying by the Infobae Mexico.

Meanwhile, the our bodies have been airlifted to Kathmandu and are saved at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for autopsy, Gyanendra Bhul, Information Officer on the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), The Himalayan Times newspaper was quoted as saying.

Speaking to the media in Janakpurdham, Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Minister Sudan Kirati introduced that the federal government would conduct a complete investigation to uncover the elements that led to this unlucky incident.

“All the passengers who died were from the same Mexican family and had flown to the Khumbu region yesterday for mountain flight as well to observe Sherpa culture,” Director of Manang Air, Mukti Pandey mentioned.

Nepal’s vacationer and mountaineering season led to May. The flights carrying vacationers to the mountains are much less widespread this time of yr as visibility is poor and climate situations fickle.

Founded in 1997, Manang Air is a helicopter airline based mostly in Kathmandu. It has been working helicopters in business air transportation inside the Nepalese territory underneath the Regulation of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

The firm supplies chartered companies and is concentrated on personalised companies reminiscent of journey flights, helicopter excursions or expedition work.

Nepal has had a fraught file of aviation accidents, partly as a result of its sudden climate adjustments and airstrips positioned in hard-to-access rocky terrains.

According to the file of CAAN, 35 deadly helicopter crashes have occurred in Nepal.

In 2023 alone, 4 helicopter crashes have been reported within the nation.

In early May, a Simrik Air helicopter crashed in Sankhuwasabha district ensuing within the tragic dying of 1 passenger, whereas 4 others sustained accidents. Likewise, Heli Everest and Air Dynasty helicopters crashed this yr, however there was no casualty.
 

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