SOLUKHUMBU: The identities of the Indian national killed and two others injured in a collision between two helicopters at Pheriche in Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality-4, Solukhumbu, on Tuesday morning have been established.
The deceased has been identified as 47-year-old Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, a resident of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. According to authorties, Balaramudu was travelling aboard a Fishtail Air helicopter when the collision occurred.
The injured have been identified as Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealander of Indian origin, and Rabindra Pradhan, the pilot-in-command of the Fishtail Air helicopter. Both were airlifted to Nepal Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.
The collision occurred at around 8:12 am as two helicopters were attempting to land at a helipad in Pheriche, a stopover for trekkers and mountaineers at an altitude of approximately 4,371 metres. One of the helicopters, an AS350 bearing registration number 9N-AOD and operated by Air Dynasty Heli Service Pvt. Ltd., had flown from Lukla Airport on a cargo flight.
The other helicopter, an AS350 registered as 9N-AJR and operated by Fishtail Air Pvt. Ltd., had taken off from Gorakshep carrying two foreign nationals. A video circulating on social media appears to show the Air Dynasty helicopter descending rapidly despite warnings from ground personnel. As it approached the helipad, it collided with the Fishtail Air helicopter, which was attempting to land from the opposite direction.
The rotor blades of the Fishtail Air helicopter struck the passenger compartment windows of the Air Dynasty aircraft while both helicopters were still approximately two to three metres above the ground. The exact cause of the collision has yet to be determined.
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