An Indian tourist was killed Tuesday when two helicopters collided while attempting to land at a helipad near Mount Everest in Nepal.

The collision occurred around 8:11 a.m. local time at Pheriche in Solukhumbu district, about 150 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu. The site lies on the route to Everest Base Camp. The helicopters, operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty, struck rotor blades during landing maneuvers.

Authorities identified the deceased as 47-year-old Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu from Chennai, a passenger on the Fishtail Air helicopter. Another passenger on the same aircraft, 49-year-old Shailesh Krishna Patel, a New Zealand citizen of Indian origin, was injured and airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu. Both Nepalese pilots, Rabindra Prajapati of Fishtail Air and Prajwal KC of Air Dynasty, also sustained injuries and were transported to the capital for treatment.

Fishtail Air said its helicopter carried passengers who had been rescued from the Everest region. The Air Dynasty helicopter was reportedly carrying cargo. The number of total passengers on board remains unconfirmed by authorities.

Solukhumbu chief district officer Kaman Singh Thapa Magar stated that weather conditions were clear at the time of the incident and suggested a possible technical glitch as the cause, pending investigation.

Nepal's rugged Himalayan terrain and high-altitude operations make helicopter travel common for trekkers, climbers, and emergency evacuations, particularly during the peak autumn trekking season. The country has a history of aviation incidents in the mountains.

The body of the deceased was taken to a hospital in Lukla. Investigations into the cause of the collision are ongoing.