Aviation

4.3, helicopter crash, fatalities

Nepal: a United Nations helicopter crashed while flying in bad weather in Nepal’s mountainous east, killing 12 people including at least seven UN staff. The helicopter went down about 125 miles east of Katmandu as it was returning to the capital from a Maoist cantonment site in eastern Nepal’s mountainous region. Nepal’s Home Ministry said police rescuers recovered 12 charred and unrecognizable bodies from the crash site. The UN, however, said there were only 10 people on board. Villagers reported seeing a ball of fire after the crash. There were four UN arms monitors on board - from South Korea, Indonesia, Gambia and Sweden - three UN staff members from Nepal, and a three-member Russian crew. Earlier, the Russian Transport Ministry said the craft was a Russian-made Mi-8 and was carrying eight passengers and three crew members - two Russians and a Belarusian. The discrepancies could not immediately be explained. Sudden rain had forced the cancellation of many scheduled commercial flights. Flying in bad weather is often difficult in Nepal’s mountainous terrain. Pilots often use their vision to navigate through the mountains and depend less on instruments.