Helicopter with minister, seven foreigners missing in Nepal

A private helicopter carrying 24 people including a junior minister and at least seven foreigners went missing in a remote region of eastern Nepal yesterday, a conservation group and authorities said.

The flight was taking officials, diplomats and conservation workers to attend the handover of the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area to the local community by the global environmental group WWF, which organised the trip.

Among the 20 passengers were junior forest minister Gopal Rai, his wife and three senior government officials, WWF said. Also on board were a Finnish diplomat, two Americans including one employee of the US government aid agency USAID, a Canadian and an Australian, as well as two Russians in the crew of four.

The helicopter left the village of Ghunsa at noon (8.15 a.m. Malta Time), but failed to reach Taplejung, 300 km from the capital Kathmandu.