Two helicopters collided and crashed near the base camp of Mount Everest (8,848m), the world's highest peak in Nepal, on the 3rd (local time), leaving one foreign tourist dead and another injured.

According to local authorities including the police, the accident occurred at around 8:15 a.m. that day when two helicopters attempting to land collided with each other and crashed at a helipad in the village of Pheriche, located at an altitude of about 4,200 meters in the Solukhumbu district of Koshi Province in eastern Nepal.

The crash killed a 47-year-old Indian tourist on board one of the helicopters at the scene and injured a New Zealand passenger, who was transported to a hospital in the capital, Kathmandu.

The Nepali pilot flying the helicopter was also injured and received treatment locally.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) stated that it received reports that the rotor blades of the helicopters collided during the landing process, and that further investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The involved helicopters belong to private operators Fishtail Air and Dynasty Air, respectively.

Reports indicated that the Fishtail Air helicopter was carrying tourists, while the Dynasty Air helicopter was flying with only cargo when the accident occurred.

The accident site is located just below the Nepali side of the Everest Base Camp, a frequent spot used by Everest trekking tourists.

Because there are no motorable roads leading to this base camp, tourists can only access the area on foot or by helicopter.

Helicopter flights transporting tourists have been particularly frequent recently, coinciding with the autumn peak season for Everest trekking.

However, foreign media reported that aviation accidents are frequent in Nepal due to its rugged terrain and rapidly changing weather.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)