Three people are killed as a plane crashes into a helicopter during take-off near Mount Everest
- Passenger plane crashed into parked helicopter near Mount Everest in Nepal
- Three people were killed and four others injured who were airlifted to hospital
- Plane skidded off runway at the dangerous airport which sits at 9,334 feet
Three people have been killed and four injured after a plane crashed during takeoff near Mount Everest.
A small passenger plane skidded off the runway and smashed into a parked helicopter at the only airport in Nepal’s Everest region on Sunday.
The crash occurred while the Summit Air plane was trying to take off from Lukla for Kathmandu, said aviation officials.
Three people have been killed and four injured after a plane crashed during takeoff near Mount Everest
A small passenger plane crashed into a parked helicopter at the only airport in Nepal’s Everest region on Sunday
The plane skidded off the runaway, hitting the helicopter of Manang Air.
Among the dead were the pilot of the plane and two police officers who were near the parked helicopter.
The injured were airlifted to Kathmandu by helicopter, Nepal police spokesman Uttam Raj Subedi said.
Hoards of people gathered around the aircraft wreckage following the crash as debris was strewn on the ground.
Smoke billowed from the crushed metal of both the plane and the helicopter as those injured were carried out on stretchers to be rushed to hospital.
Both aircrafts are private airline companies that cater to tourists and Nepalese in the country’s remote areas.
A civil administrator, Narendra Kumar Rana, said the four passengers and a flight attendant on the plane were safe.
The crash occurred while the Summit Air plane was trying to take off from Lukla for Kathmandu
The crash occurred while the Summit Air plane was trying to take off from Lukla for Kathmandu, said aviation officials.
Following the crash, authorities suspended services at Tenzing Hillary Airport at Lukla, the gateway to Mount Everest.
The airport is often referred to as the world’s most dangerous because of the short runway and difficult approach.
It’s open only to helicopters and small fixed-wing aircraft and sits at 9,334 feet.
In May 2017, a cargo flight was landing in Lukla when it lost altitude and crashed into a mountain below the runway, killing both pilots. Poor visibility was blamed for the accident.
In February, a helicopter flying in bad weather crashed into a mountain in northeastern Nepal, killing all seven people on board, including the country’s tourism minister.
The injured were airlifted to Kathmandu by helicopter, Nepal police spokesman Uttam Raj Subedi said