6 dead in Nepal chopper crash

Kathmandu [Nepal], Sept 8 (ANI): At least six passengers, including a Japanese national, died after an Altitude Air helicopter, with seven people on board, crashed in central Nepal on Saturday.

Chief District Officer of Nuwakot District, Uddab Bahadur Thapa, told ANI that the fatalities were confirmed and a female passenger has been rescued.

"The chopper was spotted inside a dense forest in a tilted position. The rescuers had to struggle a lot to reach to the chopper. The weather in the area is still adverse and we were struggling hard," he added.

Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority said that the missing chopper was spotted in a place called Satyawati, which is situated inside a dense forest area.

"The crash site lies at an altitude of 5,500 feet and rescue operation is being attempted, but the adverse weather is hindering the operations," the authority said.

Local police has confirmed that the chopper was en route to Kathmandu from Gorkha when it crashed between the border of Nuwakot and Dhading district. The helicopter had airlifted a passenger from a village in Gorkha and went off the radar at around 8 am (local time) after it took off at 7:40 am (local time).