Helicopter Crashes In Nepal Forest, Pilot And 4 Passengers From China Killed

JAKARTA - Helicopters crashed in the forest outside Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, shortly after taking off. Five people died in this accident.

Deputy Head of District Officials Krishna Prasad Humagain said the helicopter operated by Dynasty Air crashed in the Himalayan forest in Shivapuri National Park in the Nuwakot district, 57 km from the capital.

Police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki confirmed the four passengers were Chinese nationals, three men and one woman, while the pilots were Nepalese men.

Local residents saw the fire coming out of the forest and told authorities, he said.

The helicopter, which was on its way to the Rasuwa district of Kathmandu on Wednesday afternoon, lost contact with air traffic controllers three minutes after takeoff, Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority said.

More than 360 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal in the past 24 years.

Stuck between India and China, Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks.

Its planes often serve small airports located in remote hills or near peaks covered in clouds.