At least three people were killed when a small plane veered off the runway while taking off near Mount Everest on Sunday and hit two parked helicopters at Lukla airport in Nepal’s Everest region, officials said.
The incident occurred as the plane skidded off the runway while preparing to take off and hit helicopters parked at the Lukla-based helipad which is 30-50 metres from the runway,as reported.
Co-pilot S Dhungana and Assistant Sub-Inspector Ram Bahadur Khadka, who was stationed at the helipad, were killed in the incident, Tribhuvan International Airport spokesperson Pratap Babu Tiwari was quoted as saying by the paper.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Rudra Bahadur Shrestha, who was injured in the incident and airlifted to Kathmandu, died while undergoing treatment at Grande Hospital, the paper said, citing hospital sources.
“We are not sure about the cause of the accident.”
Pictures from the scene showed mangled and scorched wreckage of the plane and helicopters.
Lukla airport is used by thousands of trekkers and climbers heading for the Everest region each year.
It is particularly busy in April as the spring mountain climbing season begins.
Nepal´s aviation industry has boomed in recent years, flying tourists and goods to remote corners of the Himalayan nation where road access is limited.
But the impoverished country has a poor air safety record due to weak training and maintenance. The European Union has banned all Nepalese airlines from its airspace over safety concerns.
Seven people, including the country´s tourism minister, were killed in February when a helicopter crashed in the hilly east.
