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Helicopter Crashes in Nepali Forest, Killing All 5 on Board

Devotees’ light traditional torches on the last day of the Rato Machindranath chariot festival, also known as Bhoto Jatra, in Bungamati, Lalitpur on the outskirts of Kathmandu on August 4, 2024. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)
Devotees’ light traditional torches on the last day of the Rato Machindranath chariot festival, also known as Bhoto Jatra, in Bungamati, Lalitpur on the outskirts of Kathmandu on August 4, 2024. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)
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Helicopter Crashes in Nepali Forest, Killing All 5 on Board

Devotees’ light traditional torches on the last day of the Rato Machindranath chariot festival, also known as Bhoto Jatra, in Bungamati, Lalitpur on the outskirts of Kathmandu on August 4, 2024. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)
Devotees’ light traditional torches on the last day of the Rato Machindranath chariot festival, also known as Bhoto Jatra, in Bungamati, Lalitpur on the outskirts of Kathmandu on August 4, 2024. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)

A helicopter crashed in a forest outside Nepal's capital Kathmandu shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, killing all five people on board, an official said, the latest of more than a dozen air crashes in the mountainous region since 2000.
The helicopter, operated by Dynasty air crashed into a Himalayan forest in Shivapuri National Park of Nuwakot district, 57 km (35 miles) from the capital, deputy Chief District Officer Krishna Prasad Humagain said.
Police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki confirmed all four passengers were Chinese nationals, three men and one woman, while the pilot was a Nepali male.
Local residents saw a fire emanating from the forest and alerted authorities, Reuters quoted him as saying.
The helicopter, which was en route to Rasuwa district from Kathmandu on Wednesday afternoon, lost contact with air traffic control three minutes after takeoff, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said in a statement.
More than 360 people have died in plane or helicopter crashes in Nepal in the past 24 years.
Wedged between India and China, landlocked Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks, and its planes often service small airports nestled in remote hills or near peaks blanketed in clouds.

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Vance and Wife to Tour US Military Base in Greenland after Diplomatic Spat over Uninvited Visit

FILE - Vice President JD Vance leaves after speaking at the Congressional Cities Conference of the National League of Cities on Monday, March 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
FILE - Vice President JD Vance leaves after speaking at the Congressional Cities Conference of the National League of Cities on Monday, March 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
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Vance and Wife to Tour US Military Base in Greenland after Diplomatic Spat over Uninvited Visit

FILE - Vice President JD Vance leaves after speaking at the Congressional Cities Conference of the National League of Cities on Monday, March 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
FILE - Vice President JD Vance leaves after speaking at the Congressional Cities Conference of the National League of Cities on Monday, March 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)

US Vice President JD Vance and his wife are due to visit an American military base in Greenland on Friday in a trip that was scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes who were irked that the original itinerary was planned without consulting them.

The couple's revised trip to the semi-autonomous Danish territory comes as relations between the US and the Nordic country have soured after US President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested that the United States should in some form control the mineral-rich territory of Denmark — a traditional US ally and NATO member.

Friday's one-day visit to the US Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland, has removed the risk of potentially violating diplomatic custom by sending a delegation to another country without an official invitation. It will also reduce the likelihood that Vance and his wife will cross paths with residents angered by Trump’s annexation announcements.

Ahead of the visit, four of the five parties elected to Greenland's parliament earlier this month agreed to form a new, broad-based coalition government, banding together in the face of Trump's designs on the territory.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday that the visit, which was originally set for three days, created “unacceptable pressure." On Thursday she was cited by Danish public broadcaster DR as saying: “We really want to work with the Americans on defense and security in the kingdom. But Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”

Initially, Usha Vance had announced a solo trip to the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut. Her husband then subsequently said he would join her on that trip, only to change that itinerary again — after protests from Greenland and Denmark — to a one-day visit of the couple to the military post only.

Nonetheless, in an interview on Wednesday, Trump repeated his desire for US control of Greenland. Asked if the people there were “eager” to become US citizens, Trump said he didn’t know “but I think we have to do it, and we have to convince them.”

Inhabitants of Greenland's capital, Nuuk — which is about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) south of Pituffik — voiced concern about Vance's visit and the US interest in their island.

Cora Høy, 22, said Vance was “welcome if he wants to see it but of course Greenland is not for sale.” She added that “it’s not normal around here” with all the attention Greenland is getting. "I feel now every day is about (Trump) and I just want to get away from it.”

“It’s all a bit crazy. Of course the population here is a bit shook up,” said 30-year-old Inuk Kristensen. "My opinion is the same as everyone’s: Of course you don’t do things this way. You don’t just come here and say that you want to buy the place.”

As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources.

During his first term, Trump floated the idea of purchasing the world’s largest island, even as Denmark insisted it wasn’t for sale. The people of Greenland also have firmly rejected Trump’s plans.

Vance has several times criticized long-standing European allies for relying on military support from the United States, openly antagonizing partners in ways that have generated concerns about the reliability of the US.

Opponents of Trump's plans to control Greenland announced a rally in front of the American embassy in the Danish capital for Saturday, DR reported Thursday.