Helicopter crash leaves 5 people dead In Nepal

KATHMANDU -All five people on board a helicopter were killed when it crashed Wednesday in the mountains just northwest of Nepal’s capital, authorities said.

The bodies of four men and a woman were pulled from the wreckage, said Krishna Prasad Humagai, the government administrator of Nuwakot district.

Police and army rescuers reached the area and two rescue helicopters were also sent to assist in the operation, the official said.

The crash site is in the Suryachaur area, which is just northwest of Kathmandu, and is on a mountain covered by forest.

The helicopter had taken off from Kathmandu international airport at 1:54 p.m. local time and was heading towards the town of Syaprubeshi.

The helicopter, an Eurocopter AS350 belonging to Nepal-based Air Dynasty, had lost contact with the tower just three minutes after takeoff, according to a statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
According to police sources that the bodies of two men, one woman and the pilot, identified as Arun Malla, were recovered from the crash site. One body has not been identified yet as it is charred beyond recognition, Myrepublica reported.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Shantiraj Koirala, at the District Police Office, Nuwakot, who reached the crash site, confirmed that five bodies had been recovered.

This crash comes just weeks after the Saurya Airlines plane crash at the Tribhuvan International Airport on July 24. The crash claimed the lives of 18 people on board, with the captain being the sole survivor.