5 dead after helicopter crashes in Nepal

Authorities confirmed that on Wednesday afternoon, an Air Dynasty helicopter crashed in the Shivpuri area of the Nuwakot district in Nepal. According to local media, the helicopter had left Kathmandu and was headed to Syaphrubensi. There were five people on board the helicopter when it took off, including the pilot and four Chinese nationals who were travelling to Rasuwa, according to local media. The pilot of the helicopter was senior captain Arun Malla, helicopter lost the contact with the ground just after couple of minutes after it took off. 

The helicopter left Kathmandu at 1:54 pm on Wednesday, according to a local media outlet that cited sources at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). It lost contact with the authorities at approximately 1:57 pm after arriving at Surya Chaur. Rescue operations are being carried out on the site of the fiery crash. News agencies have confirmed that all five passengers on the helicopter—including the pilot—have died in the crash.

The crash site in the Suryachaur area, roughly northwest of Kathmandu, has been reached by rescuers. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) reports that soon after the incident, a Prabhu helicopter (9N-ANL) was sent to the crash site.

The newspaper reported, citing a police official, that the pilot, Arun Malla, and two men's and one woman's bodies had been recovered from the crash site. According to Myrepublica, one body has been beyond recognition burned; its identity has not yet been revealed.