-KATHMANDU
An Altitude Air ‘9N-ALS’ Airbus H125 helicopter crashed into the dense SatyaDevi forest of Dhading district at 5500 feet killing six on board, leaving only a woman passenger alive.
The deceased on the crash are identified as Captain Nischal K.C., Japanese national Hiromi Komatsu (68), Nepali citizens namely Dilli Bahadur Gurung (40), Hira Sherpa of (37), Chowang Sherpa (22) and Sunil Tamang (22). Rescuers recovered six bodies from the incident site this afternoon. Lho Ani Dolma Diki is the only survivor of the crash.
The Helicopter which was scheduled to Land Kathmandu by 08:18 AM NST from Samagaun but went missing after it lost a radio communication with Kathmandu tower after flying some 20 miles.
In 2016, seven people were killed in a helicopter crash 22 kilometres (14 miles) north of the capital.
Nepal has a booming private helicopter industry, flying tourists and goods to remote corners of the Himalayan nation where road access is limited or non-existent.
There were multiple helicopter accidents, claiming over a dozen lives, in the wake of a powerful 2015 earthquake when choppers were used to rescue the injured and deliver aid to communities cut off by the disaster.
The European Union banned all Nepalese airlines following international alarm over the country’s air safety record.
