Six individuals aboard a helicopter that went missing near Nepal’s Mount Everest.
When the aircraft disappeared from radar coverage this morning at about 10.12 local time (5.12 am UK time), it was carrying five foreign nationals in addition to the pilot.
The helicopter that vanished shortly after taking off from Surke Airport is owned by a private company called Manang Air, according to The Himalayan Times.
It was apparently on its way to Kathmandu at 10.04am (5.04am UK time) when it lost communication eight minutes later near the Lamjura Pass.
According to Tribhuvan International Airport manager, Gyanendra Bhul, it was around 12,000ft in the air when communications cut out.
Mr Bhul said: ‘The chopper was en’route to Kathmandu from Solukhumbu and got disconnected with the control tower at around 10 in the morning.’
Airport official Sagar Kadel said the planned flight route had been changed due to adverse weather conditions.
A search and rescue mission has been launched with another helicopter already scouring the area.
The missing helicopter’s GPS tracking system is being analysed to try and determine its last known exact location.
Identities of the passengers travelling in the helicopter have not yet been confirmed – although they are thought to be Mexican nationals.
The pilot has been identified as senior captain Chet B Gurung and the flight’s call sign is 9N-AMV.