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Two helicopters collide near Everest base camp in Nepal, killing at least one person

Nepal Police say one person was injured, while the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and the Associated Press report two injured.

10 news outlets reported this
Liberal4 outletsThe toll, the victims and trekking-season settingCenter4 outletsAviation authority's account and possible pilot miscommunicationConservative2 outletsCrash toll, victims and trekking-season context
Published 4 min read
Overview

Two helicopters collided on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as both tried to land at Pheriche village, just below Mount Everest base camp in Nepal. At least one person died. Nepal Police said one passenger was killed and another injured, while the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the Associated Press and Al Jazeera report two injured.

The dead man is a 47-year-old Indian tourist, according to district administration officer Bhupendra Thapa. The aviation authority named him as Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu. A New Zealand passenger and a Nepali pilot were hurt.

The authority said the collision happened at 8:12 a.m. local time and that both aircraft were AS350 helicopters. One, run by Air Dynasty Heli Service, had left Lukla Airport. The other, run by Fishtail Air, had left Gorakshep.

UPI reports all three casualties were on the Fishtail Air helicopter. It is unclear how many people were aboard the two aircraft. UPI reports the cause is under investigation.

Mukesh Dangol, the authority's director general, told The Kathmandu Post that early information points to miscommunication between the two pilots, which "may have contributed to the collision." He said the area lies outside the Lukla control tower's coverage, so pilots must talk to each other directly.

Key figures
  • 4,200 meters (13,780 feet) altitude of Pheriche village, the crash site — ABC News
  • 47-year-old age of the Indian tourist killed, per a district official — ABC News
  • 8:12 a.m. local time of the collision, per the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal — UPI

Three sides of the story

Liberal4 outlets

The toll, the victims and trekking-season setting

ABC News leads with Nepal Police saying two helicopters crashed into each other while trying to land in Solukhumbu district, killing one passenger and injuring another. It relays a local news site's account of who was aboard, a lone pilot in a commercial cargo craft and a pilot with two tourists in the other. ABC says the crash may mark "another setback" for Nepal's tourism and aviation sectors.

It also ran the Associated Press report, which cites district officer Bhupendra Thapa on the 47-year-old Indian tourist killed. Al Jazeera English opens with the collision killing "at least one person" and injuring two others, and says authorities confirmed an Indian national died while a New Zealand national and a Nepali pilot were hurt. It adds that footage shows more than a dozen people running to safety.

It also mentions a hotel fire on the base camp route, saying "No deaths or injuries were reported." A shorter Al Jazeera item headlines an Indian tourist's death.

Center4 outlets

Aviation authority's account and possible pilot miscommunication

UPI opens with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal saying two helicopters collided midair, killing one person and injuring two others. It sets out the authority's statement: the collision came at 8:12 a.m., both aircraft were AS350 helicopters, and the operators were Air Dynasty Heli Service and Fishtail Air. UPI itself writes that all three victims were aboard the Fishtail Air helicopter.

It names the dead man, Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu, and the injured, Sailesh Kishan Patel and pilot Rabindra Pradhan. It notes the authority did not say how many people were on the Air Dynasty aircraft. UPI describes online video of the aircraft "flying sideways into each other."

It closes on the cause, which it says was under investigation. Director general Mukesh Dangol told The Kathmandu Post that early information points to miscommunication between the pilots, which "may have contributed to the collision." He added that the area is outside the Lukla tower's coverage.

Conservative2 outlets

Crash toll, victims and trekking-season context

The New York Post ran the Associated Press wire report, the same text ABC News carried. It opens with two helicopters colliding on Tuesday while trying to land just below Everest's base camp, killing "at least one person" and injuring two others, officials said. The report says the aircraft were carrying trekkers during Nepal's popular trekking season.

It adds that heavy snow had covered the route until the weather improved on Sunday, after which thousands of trekkers could move about. It cites Solukhumbhu district administration officer Bhupendra Thapa on the 47-year-old tourist from India who died. A New Zealand passenger was being taken to Kathmandu for treatment, and a Nepali pilot was treated locally.

It says it is unclear how many people were aboard the two helicopters. It also describes the base camp trek, which lasts up to two weeks, and the fall season's popularity.

Where outlets disagree
  • Number of people injured
    • ABC News: Nepal Police: one passenger killed, another injured
    • ABC News: two others injured
    • UPI: two injured, per the aviation authority
All sources: 12 articles from 10 outlets

Liberal (6)

Center (4)

Conservative (2)