Helicopter collision at Pheriche in the Everest region kills one tourist and injures two others

A tourist was killed and at least two other people were injured on the morning of Tuesday 3 November when two helicopters collided at a helipad in Pheriche, a trekking settlement in Nepal's Solukhumbu district. The collision happened at about 8.12am Nepal time (about 2.27am GMT), according to the most detailed account published so far.

The dead man was an Indian national who had been travelling in a Fishtail Air AS350 that had flown from Gorakshep. A New Zealand citizen of Indian origin was injured and flown to Nepal Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu, along with the Fishtail Air pilot. The second aircraft, an Air Dynasty AS350, was on a cargo flight from Lukla. Police in Solukhumbu confirmed that one foreigner died at the scene.

Reports differ on key details. One account puts the number of injured at three, including two pilots with minor injuries; another names the Fishtail Air pilot as the only injured crew member. The altitude is given as about 4,200 metres in one report and 4,371 metres in another. Video said to show the incident has circulated widely and is reported to show the Air Dynasty helicopter descending quickly despite warnings from ground staff, but this has not been confirmed by investigators.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said preliminary information points to a communication failure between pilots, because the area lies outside the coverage of the Lukla control tower. Its director general said the exact cause has not been established and that the injured pilot's statement is being recorded. No formal investigation findings have been published.

The accident matters to the many Nepali and Nepalese-diaspora families whose livelihoods depend on Khumbu trekking and rescue flying, and to travellers from the UK who book Everest-region treks. Helicopter operations in the area have already been a source of dispute with regulators. Travellers should check that their operator and insurer cover high-altitude helicopter evacuation, and should expect scrutiny of how flights are coordinated at uncontrolled helipads. Figures and causes may change. Latest verified update: around 6.15am GMT, 3 November 2026.