Nepal helicopter collision kills Indian tourist

An Indian tourist was killed and a New Zealand national was injured when two helicopters collided while trying to land in Nepal's Everest region on Tuesday, police said.

The helicopters, operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty, crashed into each other as both came in to land on a snowy site in Solukhumbu district.

Nabin Raja Budhathoki, in charge of Solukhumbu District Police, said the 47-year-old Indian tourist died at the scene. He said the injured 53-year-old New Zealand citizen was airlifted to Kathmandu for further treatment.

Both pilots survived. Authorities were arranging to take the body of the person who died to Kathmandu.

Small helicopters are widely used in Nepal to carry tourists, climbers and supplies, and to conduct emergency evacuations. Aviation operations in the Himalayan country are hazardous because of difficult terrain and rapidly changing weather.