Chennai man killed in chopper crash was based in Canada, had visited India before ill-fated Nepal trip

Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu was from North Chennai and was married to Anila Chauhan, who is from Gujarat.

A 47-year-old man from Chennai was killed in a collision between two helicopters in Nepal's Solukhumbu district on Tuesday. Vasanth Kumar Balaramudu had moved to Canada for work a few years ago, officials from the Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils said.

He was travelling in a Fishtail Air helicopter when it collided with an Air Dynasty chopper at around 8:11 am while landing at Pheriche in Ward 4 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, according to a statement by the District Police Office.

An official from the Commissionerate said Balaramudu was from North Chennai and had relocated to Canada due to work. He was married to Anila Chauhan, who is from Gujarat. The couple have a son. The official said the couple had visited Nepal during a brief trip to India.

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Helicopters carrying Everest trekkers collide

The two helicopters were ferrying trekkers who had been hiking towards Everest Base Camp during Nepal's popular trekking season, the Associated Press reported.

The collision took place at Pheriche village, located at an altitude of around 4,200 metres (13,780 feet). The incident left Balaramudu dead, while three others, including a passenger and the pilots of the two helicopters, sustained injuries.

Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin who was travelling in the Fishtail Air helicopter, was injured. He was airlifted to Medicity Hospital in Kathmandu aboard a Prabhu Air helicopter after receiving initial assistance in Lukla, according to police.

The pilots, Prajjwal KC of Fishtail Air and Rabindra Prajapati of Air Dynasty, also sustained minor injuries, Nepali media reported.

Fishtail Air, in a statement on its website, said Balaramudu's mortal remains had been taken to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for an autopsy. It added that the injured passenger and the Fishtail Air pilot were admitted to Medicity Hospital and were out of danger.

What caused the helicopter collision

Preliminary reports suggest that miscommunication between the pilots may have led to the collision. The area is outside the coverage of the Lukla Airport air traffic control tower, requiring pilots to communicate with one another, Mukesh Dangol, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post.

The number of passengers aboard the two helicopters at the time of the collision is yet to be confirmed.

Indian Embassy coordinates repatriation

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu expressed its condolences over the death of the Indian national and said it was coordinating with Nepalese authorities for the early repatriation of his mortal remains.

In a statement shared on social media, the embassy said it was in close contact with the concerned authorities following the helicopter collision in Solukhumbu district.

(With inputs from Pramod Giri)