UN helicopter crashes in Ramechhap; ten dead

A helicopter belonging to United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has crashed in Bethan VDC-9 of Ramechhap district in central Nepal Monday afternoon.

Rescuers have recovered ten dead bodies from the crash site even as rescue works continue, reports coming in say. Only one dead body, of pilot Bhim Bahadur Gurung, has been identified so far while others have been burnt beyond recognition.

“We have so far collected ten dead bodies from the site. We could only identify the body of the pilot by his ID card,” Raju Khadka, a local resident, told the radio station at 6:50 pm, "The helicopter is still burning."

He said the villagers heard a 'blast' with thick smoke willowing in the sky as the white chopper dropped in the field close to a settlement area. The incident occurred around 4 pm.

In Kathmandu, reports quoting senior officials of Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA), have said that the airport had lost contact with a UN helicopter.

Some reports have said that the helicopter was returning from Dudhauli camp in Sindhuli district to Kathmandu when it crashed over Ramechhap.

Details of the chopper crash are still awaited.

nepalnews.com Mar 03 08