Le mont Ama Dablam (6 812 m), au Népal, en 2018. PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP
A tourist helicopter crashed in Nepal on Tuesday (July 11th) shortly after takeoff, killing six, Nepalese air authorities said. The Manang Air aircraft had taken off from Surke, near Lukla in the Everest region at 10:04 a.m. local time, heading for the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, but contact was lost ten minutes after takeoff and searches triggered immediately.
“Six bodies were found at the crash site”, Gyanendra Bhul, of the civil aviation authority, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). The aircraft had five Mexican tourists and a Nepalese pilot on board, Raju Neupane of Manang Air told AFP. Nepal, known for its poor aviation security, was the scene of an air disaster that claimed 72 lives less than six months ago.
Its snow-capped peaks and remote, hard-to-access trails challenge even accomplished pilots. The weather is also changing drastically in Nepal, creating dangerous flying conditions in a country where the airline industry suffers from a lack of pilot training and runway maintenance.
The European Union, worried about this situation, has banned all Nepalese companies from its airspace.