Kathmandu, September 23

The 11th anniversary of Ghunsa helicopter crash, in which a total of 24 individuals including the then minister of state for forest and soil conservation Gopal Rai and some prominent forest and environment conservationists had lost their lives, was marked today.

The assembly on the Ghunsa tragedy was organised jointly by National Martyr and Peace Memorial Park Gokarna and Gopal-Meena Rai Foundation at Gokarna.

During the assembly, lawmaker Rameshwor Phuyal said the Ghunsa tragedy, in which 24 individuals, including leading forest and environment conservationists were killed was a massive loss for the nation.

To pay real tribute to the victims of the Ghunsa tragedy, he stressed that they needed to work together in materialising the motto of ‘Hariyo Ban Nepalko Dhan’ meaning green forest is Nepal’s treasure.

The then state minister Rai, his spouse Meena, Dr Harka Gurung and Chandraman Gurung, Tirthaman Shakya, known as the king of tiger conservation, were among those killed in the Ghunsa chopper crash in Taplejung on September 23, 2006.