All 6 aboard helicopter carrying Mexican tourists are killed in a crash near Mount Everest in Nepal
Kathmandu (AP): All six people on board a helicopter carrying Mexican tourists were killed when it crashed Tuesday near Mount Everest in Nepal, authorities said.
The helicopter crashed in the Lamajura area and all the bodies were recovered, said Basanta Bhattarai, the chief government administrator in the area.
The five tourists were Mexican nationals and the pilot was Nepalese, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said in a statement. The Mexicans included two men and three women.
Federico Salas, Mexico's ambassador to India, told N+, part of Mexico's Televisa network, that the five Mexican victims were part of the same family.
Mexico's National Cancer Institute said via Twitter that one of those killed was Dr. Abril Sifuentes Gonz lez, a resident in internal medicine there. A week earlier, Sifuentes posted a photo of herself standing in front of India's Taj Mahal on Instagram.
Two rescue helicopters were used to fly the bodies out of the crash site and then to the capital, Kathmandu. Doctors were expected to perform an autopsy before the bodies are handed over to relatives, or in case of foreigners, to embassy officials.
The aircraft was returning to Kathmandu on Tuesday morning after bringing the tourists on a sightseeing trip to the world's highest peak.
It wasn't clear what caused the crash. Weather conditions had caused the helicopter's planned flight route to be changed, airport official Sagar Kadel said.
It is common for flights to be delayed and routes changed during the monsoon season and heavy rains.
The tourist and mountaineering season ended in May with the onset of the rainy season and tourist flights to the mountains are less common this time of year as visibility is poor and weather conditions become unpredictable.
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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
