A helicopter of Manang Air flying towards Solukhumbhu crashed in Lobuche on Saturday morning.

According to Gyanendra Bhul, information officer at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the chopper with the call sign 9N-ANJ had taken off for Solukhumbhu from Lukla at 7:13am to pick up passengers.

The chopper caught fire after it crashed during descent.

Captain Prakash Kumar Sedhai, who was the only one onboard, sustained injuries in the crash. He is being airlifted to the Capital on a Fishtail Air helicopter.

The reason for the crash has not been ascertained yet. It is suspected that the accident occurred after the chopper lost control.

Previously on July 11, six people were killed after a Manang Air chopper crashed at Lamjura of Likhupike Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu district.

The chopper, with Captain Chet Bahadur Gurung and five Mexican nationals aboard, had gone out of contact on the morning of July 11 and was later found crashed at Chihandanda of Lamjura which lies between Jiri and Phaplu.

It had taken rescuers five hours to locate the site where the craft had gone down, killing all on board. The helicopter bearing registration number 9N-AMV had slammed into a hillside at Lamjura.