Five bodies recovered from Manang helicopter crash site in Nepal

The Manang Air helicopter went contactless 15 minutes into the flight. (Photo: manangair.com)

Five bodies have been recovered from the accident site of a private commercial helicopter carrying six people that crashed in hilly terrain in eastern Nepal on Tuesday, PTI reported.

The Manang Air NA-MV chopper took off from Surke Airport in Solukhumbu district at 10:04 am for Kathmandu and suddenly lost contact at an altitude above 12,000 feet at 10:13 am, said Gyanendra Bhul, Manager at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

The helicopter crashed in the Lamjura area of Likhupike Rural Municipality in the remote mountainous Solukhumbu district. A detailed report is yet to come as a rescue operation is underway, said a senior official at TIA.

According to police, the helicopter met with the accident at approximately 3500 meters above sea level in the Lamjura Pass, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported.

"Five bodies have been recovered from the accident site and a search operation is underway," the report quoted police as saying.

Five Mexican nationals and pilot Chet B Gurung were aboard the helicopter.

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Founded in 1997, Manang Air is a helicopter airline based in Kathmandu. It has been operating helicopters in commercial air transportation within the Nepalese territory under the Regulation of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

The company provides chartered services and is focused on personalised services such as adventure flights helicopter excursions or expedition work. (PTI)