Tragedy: Minister dies in chopper crash

A helicopter carrying Nepal’s Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari has crashed in the country’s mountainous region of Tehrathum district.

The helicopter was flying in bad weather with six people on board, including the tourism minister.

Adhikari was among the people who boarded the helicopter when it left Kathmandu.

Nepal Police spokesman Uttam Raj Subedi, however, said it was not clear if he got off the aircraft when it made a stop before it lost contact with the airport tower in Kathmandu.

He said rescuers were searching for the chopper, but the weather was making the operation difficult in an area about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the Nepalese capital.

But the Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that all six on board, including the tourism minister, are dead in the chopper crash.