Tragedy Strikes as Deadly Helicopter Crash Claims Six Lives in Nepal Six people, including five members of a Mexican family, lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash near Mount Everest in eastern Nepal on July 11. The Manang Air NA-MV chopper took off from Surke Airport in Solukhumbu district for Kathmandu, but lost contact at an altitude of 12,000 feet and crashed in the Lamjura area of Likhupike Rural Municipality. Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) spokesperson Tkeknath Sitaula confirmed that all six bodies were found at the crash site during a search operation. According to the TIA Manager

Gyanendra Bhul, the flight was conducted from Lukla, the gateway to Mount Everest.

The six people aboard included Captain Chet Bahadur Gurung and five Mexican nationals - Sifuentes G. Fernando (95), Sifuentes Rincon Ismail (98), Sifuentes Gongalez Abril (72), Gongalez Olacio Luz (65) and Sifuentes G. Maria Jese (52). District police chief Dipak Shrestha has identified the deceased, and believes the accident was caused due to bad weather. Founded in 1997, Manang Air is a helicopter airline based in Kathmandu and provides chartered services and personalised services such as adventure flights, helicopter excursions or expedition work. The company operates helicopters in commercial air transportation within the Nepalese territory under the Regulation of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. However, the tourist and mountaineering season ended in May and flights carrying tourists to the mountains are less common this time of year as visibility is poor and weather conditions fickle.

The tragic accident, which took the lives of six people, has sparked a wave of shock and grief in the aviation community of Nepal. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and the families of the deceased are yet to come to terms with the sudden loss of their loved ones.