At least five people killed after tourist helicopter vanishes near Mount Everest

11 July 2023 , 06:45

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The summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world (Image: Getty Images)

At least five people have been killed after a helicopter carrying six people vanished near Mount Everest.

The aircraft was carrying five foreign tourists on a sightseeing tour to the world's highest peak and was returning to the capital, Kathmandu, on Tuesday morning when it fell off the radar.

It had just departed from the mountainous Solukhumbu district in eastern Nepal when it vanished.

The helicopter crashed in the Lamajura area and rescuers have now recovered the bodies of five people and are searching for the sixth, said Basanta Bhattarai, the chief government administrator in the area.

Initial media reports indicated that all foreign nationals on board were Mexican while the pilot was Nepalese.

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A queue of climbers at the Everest Summit (AFP/Getty Images)

Airport official Sagar Kadel said weather conditions had caused changes to be made to the helicopter's flight route. It is common for flights to be delayed and routes changed during the monsoon season amid heavy rains.

However, most of the mountainous area is only accessible on foot with no roads.

The tourist and mountaineering season ended in May with the onset of the rainy season and tourist flights to the mountains are not common at this time of year as visibility gets poor and weather conditions become unpredictable.

Experts say this year will likely be the deadliest yet on the mountain due to constant weather changes caused by climate change.

A total of 12 people have now been confirmed dead during Everest expeditions this season and another five are missing, presumed dead, according to the Himalayan Database, which tracks mountain fatalities.

Yuba Raj Khatiwada, the director of Nepal’s tourism department told the Guardian: "Altogether this year we lost 17 people on the mountain this season. The main cause is the changing in the weather. This season the weather conditions were not favourable, it was very variable. Climate change is having a big impact in the mountains."

On average, between five and 10 people die on Everest every year but recent years have seen a spike.

Rachel Hagan