4 injured in chopper crash near Mount Everest

September 26, 2013 04:09 pm | Updated June 02, 2016 03:17 pm IST - KATHMANDU

A helicopter crashed while attempting to land near Mount Everest on Thursday, injuring all four people on board, Nepalese police said.

The helicopter belonging to local Dynasty Airlines was approaching Lukla airport when it got caught in a wire fence, police official Badri Bikram Thapa said.

The helicopter crashed and caught fire but the four on board all Nepalese citizens managed to escape. One was critically injured and was flown by rescue helicopter to Kathmandu for treatment.

The tiny airstrip at Lukla, carved out of the side of the mountain at an altitude of 2,843 m, has earned a reputation as one of the most extreme and dangerous airports in the world. The single runway is narrow, short and sloped. The helipad is also small.

It has become a busy airport used by thousands of mountaineers and trekkers who visit the Everest region every year.

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