Tragic Helicopter Collision in Nepal Claims Life of Indian National

A tragic helicopter collision in Nepal's Solukhumbu district has led to the death of an Indian national and injuries to others. The incident occurred during landing at Pheriche, a key location on the route to Mt Everest Base Camp. Authorities are investigating the crash, which involved helicopters from Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty. The deceased has been identified as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, while another passenger was airlifted to a hospital for treatment. Read on for more details about this unfortunate event.

By Narendra Chaudhary Nov 3, 2026, 11:53 IST

Helicopter Crash in Solukhumbu District

Kathmandu: A tragic incident occurred in Nepal's Solukhumbu district on Tuesday when two helicopters collided during landing, resulting in the death of a 47-year-old Indian national and injuries to another passenger, according to local police reports.

The collision took place at approximately 8:11 AM local time at Pheriche, located in Ward 4 of the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, as stated by the District Police Office of Solukhumbu.

The helicopters involved were operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty. The deceased has been identified as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, who was a passenger on the Fishtail Air helicopter.

Another passenger, Shailesh Krishna Patel, a 49-year-old of Indian descent residing in New Zealand, sustained injuries in the crash. He was subsequently airlifted to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu via a Prabhu Helicopter, as reported by Police Inspector Mausam Tamang.

Additionally, the Nepalese pilots, Rabindra Prajapati from Fishtail Air and Prajwal KC from Dynasty Air, also suffered injuries and have been transported to Kathmandu for medical care.

Pheriche is a key stop on the route to the Mt Everest Base Camp, situated about 150 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu.

Authorities confirmed that Balaramaramadu's body has been moved to a hospital in Lukla. The total number of passengers on both helicopters at the time of the incident remains unverified, and police are actively seeking more information regarding the crash.