Indian National Killed in Nepal Helicopter Collision, MEA Assures Early Repatriation of Mortal Remains

India on Tuesday expressed condolences over the death of an Indian national in a mid-air collision involving two helicopters in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district, assuring that efforts were underway to bring back the mortal remains at the earliest.

Addressing a bi-weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian Embassy in Nepal had confirmed the death and was coordinating with local authorities for the repatriation.

"We have seen reports and even some images of the incident. Two helicopters were involved in a collision. An Indian national has died in the accident. Our Embassy has confirmed this and has expressed its condolences. We will make efforts to bring the mortal remains back as soon as possible," he said.

INDIAN EMBASSY COORDINATING WITH NEPAL AUTHORITIES

Earlier on Tuesday, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu also expressed condolences over the death and said it was working with Nepali authorities to facilitate the early repatriation of the mortal remains.

"The Embassy of India in Kathmandu expresses its deepest condolences on the unfortunate demise of an Indian national in an incident involving a collision between two helicopters in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal today," the embassy said in a post on X.

It added that it was coordinating with the relevant authorities to bring back the deceased.

THREE OTHERS INJURED IN COLLISION

According to Inspector Mausam Tamang, as quoted by The Kathmandu Post, the deceased Indian national was identified as Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, who was travelling aboard a Fishtail Air helicopter. His body was transferred to a medical facility in Lukla.

Another passenger on the same helicopter, Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, sustained injuries and was airlifted to Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu aboard a Prabhu Air helicopter.

Both pilots also suffered minor injuries and were taken to Kathmandu for further medical treatment.

COLLISION DURING LANDING SEQUENCE

The collision involved helicopters operated by Air Dynasty and Fishtail Air. It occurred at around 8:11 am as both aircraft were attempting to land at Pheriche, in Ward 4 of the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, according to the District Police Office, as reported by The Kathmandu Post.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the total number of passengers aboard the two helicopters at the time of the collision. Police personnel are continuing to gather details about the incident.

CCTV footage of the collision has also emerged, showing the helicopters moving dangerously close to each other before their rotor blades made contact.

Further details about the circumstances leading to the collision and the ongoing investigation are awaited.

With inputs from ANI