Indian tourist dies and others injured in Nepal helicopter collision near Everest region

An Indian visitor lost his life and several other people sustained injuries following a mid-air collision between two helicopters in Nepal's Solukhumbu district on Tuesday morning, November 3, 2026. The accident took place at approximately 8:11 a.m. local time as the aircraft attempted to land in Pheriche, located within Ward 4 of the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, according to reports from the District Police Office in Solukhumbu. The two colliding helicopters belonged to private operators Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty. Police Inspector Mausam Tamang confirmed that the person who died was Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, an Indian citizen who was riding in the Fishtail Air machine. His mortal remains were shifted to a medical facility in Lukla. Another individual on the same Fishtail Air aircraft, a New Zealand resident of Indian descent named Shailesh Krishna Patel, suffered injuries in the crash. A Prabhu Helicopter airlifted him to Mediciti Hospital situated in Kathmandu for medical care. Both pilots involved in the accident, identified as Rabindra Prajapati representing Fishtail Air and Prajwal KC representing Dynasty Air, also picked up injuries and were sent to Kathmandu to receive treatment. Local authorities reported that the exact count of total passengers flying in both helicopters at the moment of impact remains unconfirmed while officials continue to collect information.

Context

Pheriche is a popular stopover located about 150 kilometres northeast of Kathmandu along the main trekking route leading up to the Mount Everest Base Camp. Aviation accidents can occur in Nepal's rugged mountainous terrain due to challenging weather conditions and difficult landing zones.