One dead in Nepal helicopter crash

One person was killed and four were injured when a helicopter crashed on Friday in eastern Nepal, officials said, the latest in a string of aviation accidents in the country.

The chopper had dropped off goods for a hydroelectricity project in Sankhuwasabha and was heading to another destination in the same district.

"Two helicopters were deployed to rescue five people injured soon after the crash, including the pilot. We have (to) report that one person has died," said Jagannath Niroula, a spokesman for Nepal's civil aviation authority.

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Three people were being airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment, Niroula said. The fourth person was also being brought to the capital.

The spokesman said he had not received details on the cause of the crash.

Nepal has a booming private helicopter industry, flying tourists and goods to remote corners of the Himalayan nation where road access is limited or non-existent.

But the impoverished country has a bad air safety record due to poorly trained staff and lacklustre maintenance.

The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns.

The latest incident comes less than four months after a plane crash in western Nepal killed all 72 people on board.

In 2018, six people were killed when a helicopter crashed on a hillside in Gorkha district in central Nepal.

In March, the government suspended three air traffic controllers and launched an investigation after two passenger planes nearly collided in mid-air while waiting to land at Kathmandu's international airport.