KATHMANDU, Nepal — Two helicopters collided Tuesday while attempting to land just below Mount Everest’s base camp, killing at least one person and injuring two others, officials confirmed.
The aircraft were transporting trekkers who had been hiking toward Everest base camp during Nepal’s peak trekking season. Heavy snow had blanketed the route before conditions improved on Sunday, allowing thousands of trekkers to continue their journeys.
With no roads on Everest, helicopters remain the sole means of evacuating trekkers and guides who fall ill or become exhausted in the extreme cold and high altitude.
The helicopters went down at Pheriche village, situated at 4,200 meters (13,780 feet) above sea level.
According to Bhupendra Thapa, a Solukhumbhu district administration officer, a 47-year-old tourist from India died in the crash.
A passenger from New Zealand sustained injuries and was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment, while a Nepali pilot was hurt but treated locally.
The total number of people aboard the two helicopters remains unclear.
The trek to Mount Everest base camp takes up to two weeks, traveling from the region’s only airstrip in Lukla to base camp at 5,300 meters (17,380 feet).
The route is especially popular in the autumn, following the rainy season and preceding the harsh winter months.
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