A private commercial helicopter carrying six people, including five Mexican nationals, went missing near Nepal’s Mount Everest region today, aviation authorities said.
Manang Air Helicopter 9N-AMV departed Surke Airport in Solukhumbu District at 10:04 am for Kathmandu. However, it suddenly lost contact at an altitude of 12,000 feet at 10:13 am, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) manager Gyanendra Bhul said.
The passengers aboard the helicopter were identified as five Mexican nationals, whose identities have not yet been released, and the pilot, Senior Captain Chet B Gurung, the Himalayan Times newspaper reported.
“It was learned that the Manang Air helicopter is out of contact, no contact with the tower when it reached Lamjura pass, it was reported that the helicopter only received a ‘hello’ message on Viber, search is on,” TIA spokesperson Teknath Situla told MyRepublica News website.
Founded in 1997, Manang Air is a helicopter airline based in Kathmandu. It operates helicopters for commercial air transport within Nepalese territory under the control of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
The company offers chartered services and focuses on personalized services such as adventure flight helicopter tours or expedition work.
