The single-pilot Kathmandu-bound Altitude Air helicopter was carrying six passengers, including a Japanese trekker, when it lost contact with air traffic control after taking off from the central district of Gorkha. The chopper's wreckage had been spotted on a forested hillside in neighbouring Dhadhing district, said Kathmandu airport general manager Raj Kumar Chettri. But the impoverished country has a poor air safety record due to poorly trained staff and lacklustre maintenance. In 2016, seven people were killed in a helicopter crash 22 kilometres (14 miles) north of the capital. The European Union banned all Nepalese airlines following international alarm over the country's air safety record.

Source: The Nation Bangkok September 08, 2018 08:26 UTC