Indian Tourist Killed, 3 Injured As Two Helicopters Collide Near Everest Base Camp In Nepal

An Indian tourist died and three others sustained injuries when two helicopters crashed into each other during landing in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning.

Inspector Mausam Tamang said that the deceased was identified as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, an Indian national travelling in the Fishtail Air helicopter. His body was taken to a hospital in Lukla, local media reported.

Another passenger on the helicopter, Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, was injured in the collision. He was flown to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu in a Prabhu Air helicopter, Tamang said.

The pilots of both helicopters suffered minor injuries and were also taken to Kathmandu for medical treatment.

Fishtail Air said its helicopter was carrying passengers rescued from the Everest region when it crashed during landing. A company official confirmed that the Indian and New Zealand nationals on board were tourists, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, a Dynasty Air official said its helicopter was carrying only cargo at the time of the collision.

The helicopter was carrying trekkers returning from hikes to Everest Base Camp during Nepal's busy trekking season. The collision took place near Pheriche village, located at an altitude of 4,200 metres (13,780 feet).

"One foreigner is dead on the spot, and another injured person has been taken to the hospital," Nabin Raja Budhathoki, who heads Solukhumbu District Police, told AFP.

Authorities have not yet confirmed how many passengers were travelling in the two helicopters when they collided. The accident occurred during Nepal's peak trekking season, when helicopters are widely used to transport hikers and climbers across the mountainous region.

Earlier, Nepal was hit by devastating flash floods on August 26, 2026, after a glacier collapse in the Himalayas triggered a massive surge of water, rocks and mud along the Nepal-China border.

The floods swept through several districts, destroying homes, roads, bridges and hydropower projects. At least 1,455 people were killed and 5,285 remained missing.