KATHMANDU, AUGUST 7
An Air Dynasty helicopter crashed this afternoon near Shivachaur in the Shivapuri Rural Municipality-7 of Nuwakot, resulting in the deaths of all five people on board.
The helicopter, identified as 9N-AJD, was piloted by senior captain Arun Malla.
It departed from Kathmandu at 1:54 am and was en route to Syaphrubensi when the crash occurred. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), a Prabhu helicopter (9N-ANL) was dispatched to the crash site immediately after the incident was reported.
There were five individuals on board, including four Chinese nationals traveling to Rasuwa. The helicopter lost contact with the Kathmandu tower just three minutes after takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport, according to the CAAN.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Shantiraj Koirala, at the District Police Office, Nuwakot, who reached the crash site, confirmed that five bodies had been recovered.
This crash comes just weeks after the Saurya Airlines plane crash at Tribhuvan International Airport on July 24, which claimed the lives of 18 people on board, with the captain being the sole survivor. This latest incident raises serious concerns about air safety over the skies of the Himalayan nation, which has witnessed numerous air crashes in recent years.
