New Delhi: An Indian tourist was killed and three others injured when two helicopters collided while landing at Pheriche in Nepal’s Everest region on Tuesday. The accident involved aircraft operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty at a high-altitude helipad in Solukhumbu district, along the route to Everest base camp.
The collision occurred at around 8.11am local time, according to Nepal Police and Tribhuvan International Airport officials. The dead passenger was identified in Nepali reporting as 47-year-old Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, a resident of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Another Fishtail Air passenger, 49-year-old Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, was injured. Both helicopter pilots also sustained injuries, bringing the reported number of injured people to three.
The civil aviation authority of Nepal (CAAN) identified the aircraft as AS350 helicopters. Air Dynasty’s helicopter, registration 9N-AOD, was carrying cargo from Lukla, while Fishtail Air’s 9N-AJR had departed Gorakshep with two foreign passengers. The passengers had been rescued from the Everest region, Fishtail Air told Reuters.
Both aircraft were approaching the Pheriche landing area when they collided. Footage circulating online appeared to show their rotor blades coming into contact a few metres above the ground, but the recording does not establish why the incident occurred.
Patel and Fishtail Air pilot, Rabindra Prajapati, were evacuated aboard a Prabhu Air helicopter to Nepal Mediciti hospital in Lalitpur, near Kathmandu. Air Dynasty pilot, Prajal KC, received treatment at a hospital in Lukla and was reported to be in stable condition. Police personnel from a nearby post also reached the helipad to assist with the emergency response.
The Indian passenger died at the scene, and his body was flown to Lukla. Local officials said arrangements would be made to move the remains to Kathmandu for formalities before they were handed over to Indian authorities.
Nepali aviation and police officials have begun investigating the collision. CAAN director general, Mukesh Dangol, told the Kathmandu Post that preliminary information suggested possible miscommunication between pilots because the Pheriche helipad is outside the coverage of Lukla Airport’s air traffic control tower.
Pilots operating there communicate directly with one another, Dangol said, adding that investigators were recording a statement from an injured pilot. His comments were preliminary and did not establish pilot error as the cause.
Solukhumbu district official, Kaman Singh Thapa Magar, separately told Hindustan Times that the weather was clear and a technical problem was possible. No mechanical malfunction has been confirmed, and investigators have not determined what caused the two helicopters to collide.
Pheriche lies approximately 4,371 metres above sea level and serves as a stop for trekkers heading towards Everest base camp. Helicopters transport passengers, equipment and supplies across the region and are used to evacuate climbers and trekkers facing medical emergencies where road access is limited.
The collision comes amid longstanding disputes over helicopter operations in the Everest region. Local authorities and Sagarmatha National Park issued directives in December 2025 restricting sightseeing flights from January this year, while exempting rescue missions. Local communities have raised environmental and noise concerns, while tourism operators warn that tighter restrictions could affect the region’s tourism industry.
The accident occurred during Nepal’s busy autumn trekking season, when aircraft frequently serve settlements and climbing routes around Everest. In July 2023, a Manang Air helicopter crashed in Solukhumbu, killing five Mexican tourists and its Nepali pilot.
Authorities had not announced any findings from the Pheriche investigation at the time of reporting.