Manang Air helicopter Crash, 6 people died

In the Manang Air helicopter accident, six people died. The helicopter, with registration ‘9N-AB-MH’, which took off from Solukhumbu for Kathmandu on Tuesday morning, met with an accident in the Lamjura Pass area of Likhu Rural Municipality-5, Solukhumbu.

This information was provided by Rajesh Nath Bastola, the Chief of the Province 2 Police Office.

Chet Bahadur Gurung piloted the helicopter. Among the passengers, there were 5 Mexican citizens and one Nepali pilot.

“Six bodies have been found. One body is in multiple pieces. The bodies are in a burnt condition,” he said. “It appears that the helicopter crashed into a cliff.”

A team from Nepal Police, led by Assistant Inspector Nirajan Basnet, has reached the accident site. He arrived at the scene on a motorcycle.

Director General Bastola informed us that collecting the bodies is underway.

The helicopter, which took off from Surkhet at 10 AM, lost contact around 12 minutes later. It was scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu at around 11:30 AM. However, after news of the contact loss, the police team was mobilized.

At the accident site, there is also the presence of the District Police Office’s Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Dipak Shrestha and the Nepali Army team.

Manang helicopter crash: 6 bodies found

Manang Air helicopter was found crashed into a tree. According to Rajesh Nath Bastola, the Inspector General of Province 2 Police, the accident occurred in a forest area near Simana Lamajura Danda, situated in Likhu Rural Municipality-5 of Solukhumbu district and Dudhkunda Municipality-2.

A rescue team led by Assistant Inspector Nirajan Basnet from Beni Police Station has been deployed at the scene. Basnet stated that the helicopter crashed in the area of Likhu Rural Municipality-5.

The rescue team has retrieved six bodies from the scene. The helicopter had taken off from Surkhet at 10:05 AM and was headed to Kathmandu, but it crashed only 8 minutes after takeoff.

Unfortunately, there was no communication from the helicopter after it reached the vicinity of Likhu and Dudhkunda.

Five Mexican citizens were aboard the ill-fated helicopter.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that among the passengers aboard the ill-fated Manang Air helicopter with registration 9N-AB-MH, there were five Mexican citizens.

Nepal Police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat has provided information confirming the presence of Mexican citizens aboard the helicopter.

The helicopter took off from Surkhet for Kathmandu at 10:00 AM and lost contact approximately 12 minutes later. After locals provided the information about the incident near Lamajura of Dudhkunda Municipality-2, a police team was deployed in that direction. According to Rajesh Nath Bastola, the Inspector General of Province 2 Police, a team led by an Assistant Inspector from Beni Police Station has been sent to the reported location based on the local information.

5 Mexican citizens’ name list aboard the Manang helicopter

According to the passenger list of Manang, the helicopter had Sifuentes G. Fernando, Gonzalez A., Gonzalez O., Sifuentes G. Moxritos, and Rincon I. as passengers.

Detailed information before the accident

Before the accident, the Mexican people had recently arrived on Monday in Lukla for mountain flights. However, unfavorable weather conditions on Tuesday necessitated their early morning return to Kathmandu.

At approximately 7 AM, the helicopter stopped at Surke Hotel’s helipad in Lukla for refueling. Following refueling, pilot Chet Bahadur Gurung embarked on the mountain flight with five passengers.

Upon completing the mountain flight, the pilot safely landed the helicopter back at the Surke Hotel’s helipad in Lukla around 10 AM.

The manager of Surke Hotel confirmed that both the pilot and passengers stayed in Lukla, and the helicopter underwent refueling before returning to Kathmandu at around 10 AM.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the Manang Air helicopter with registration 9N-AB-MH departed from Surkhet for Kathmandu at 10:05 AM. The Search and Rescue Coordination Center confirmed that the helicopter carried five passengers, and the last contact was made at Lukla Tower at 10:13 AM.

Raju Nyapane, the Safety Manager of Manang Air, stated that the helicopter had returned after enjoying the scenic views of the Himalayas. Unfortunately, due to poor weather conditions the previous day, they could not witness the Himalayan scenery. The plan was to observe the Himalayan scenery and return to Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Peregrine Treks deeply mourns the loss of lives in the devastating Manang Air helicopter crash. We extend our condolences to the families and friends impacted by this tragic incident. It is a time of immense sorrow, and we stand in solidarity with all those affected by this unfortunate event. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones as they navigate this challenging period of grief and loss. We offer our support and assistance wherever possible during this challenging time.