Technical snag suspected after 2 helicopters collide near Everest Base Camp

A tourist from Chennai, Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, 47, died on the spot, and three others were injured

A technical glitch may have led to the collision between two helicopters as they were about to land at a high-altitude Himalayan helipad at Pheriche in Nepal’s Solukhumbu on Tuesday, a Nepalese official said, ruling out weather as a cause.

A tourist from Chennai, Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu, 47, died on the spot, and three others were injured in the collision.

“The weather was clear at that time. While details of how the crash took place will be known after investigation, it appears there was some technical glitch,” Solukhumbu’s chief development officer Kaman Singh Thapa Magar told HT.

He added that a Fishtail Air helicopter carrying two passengers from Gorakhshep (about 5164 m above sea level, near Everest Base Camp at 5364 m) collided with another Air Dynasty chopper carrying cargo at Pheriche (4371 m) at 8:11am (7:56am IST).

Indian tourist died on the spot

Magar said that Balaramaramadu died on the spot. The injured, Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, and Rabindra Prajapati, one of the pilots, were airlifted to Kathmandu. Prajjwal KC, the second pilot, sustained minor injuries. Videos of the crash have since gone viral.

Abi Narayan Kafle, a Nepal Police spokesperson, echoed Magar and said an investigation is underway to probe how the accident took place. “Since the weather was clear, it appears there was some other issue,” Kafle told HT from Kathmandu.

He added that the two injured are under treatment in Kathmandu and Balaramaramadu’s body is at Lukla, the closest airstrip to the Everest Base Camp region. “It will be brought to Kathmandu after formalities are completed and then handed over to the Indian authorities,” he said.

Kafle said it was unclear whether Balaramaramadu and Patel were in Solukhumbu as part of some trekking expedition or were planning to climb Mount Everest.

The trek to Everest Base Camp, from where all expeditions to the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest (8848 m), begin from the Nepal side, is one of the most popular. Hundreds of trekkers gather in the area annually.

A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More