Kiwi injured after fatal helicopter crash in Nepal's Everest region

A New Zealander has reportedly been injured in a helicopter crash that has claimed one life and injured two others in Nepal’s Everest region.

Nepal Police said two helicopters collided while landing at a helipad in eastern Nepal’s Khumbu region.

Police said three people, including a 49-year-old Kiwi, were among passengers and crew aboard a Fistel Air helicopter.

Nepal Police said the New Zealander was undergoing treatment at Medicity Hospital in Kathmandu.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said it was aware of reports that a New Zealand citizen had been injured in a helicopter accident in Nepal.

“For privacy reasons, no further information will be provided,” the spokesperson said.

The pilot of the helicopter he was travelling in was being treated at the same hospital.

Footage of the collision, which happened just after 8am local time, shows two helicopters coming into land at the helipad in Feruche from opposite directions.

One of the incoming helicopter’s rotor blades shears the tail from the body of the other craft before they both plummet to the ground.

The collision happened metres from the ground and near a line of people waiting for the helicopters to land.

A person in a high-vis vest can be seen signalling to one incoming craft before the incident.

That person is then seen on his knees avoiding flying debris as the wreckage hits the snowy terrain.

The injured pilot of the second craft, operated by Dynasty Air, has been ferried to Lukla and is undergoing treatment at Nicole Nikki Hospital.

Police said a 47-year-old Indian national died at the scene and had since been taken to Lukla.

Air Dynasty Heli Services said initial reports indicated there were no passengers on board their helicopter when the accident happened.

“At this stage we have no further information concerning the circumstances of the accident and we are not in a position to speculate on the cause of this situation.”

The company was working with relevant authorities into the cause of the crash, a spokesperson said.