Post Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 19:A group of 40 to50 armed men, said to be Maoist rebels, today set ablaze a helicopter of the Karnali Air Pvt. Ltd., after forcing the passengers on board out of the chopper, according to a report by the Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Reacting to the incident later today, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Bal Bahadur KC accused the Maoists for the attack.

The group reportedly took away the pilot and a passenger to an unknown destination. However, a statement by Karnali Air said that three persons – the pilot and two passengers – have been kidnapped.

The 9NAED (AS350) helicopter had left Kathmandu airport at 9.48 a.m. for Jubu in Solukhumbu district, east Nepal with a pilot and four passengers. The chopper, scheduled to land at Jubu at 10.30 a.m., was on a chartered flight to fly in the husband of a woman who had died in the capital.

A rescue chopper from Karnali Air 9NAEY (BK117) spotted the burning helicopter at about 4.15 p.m.

According to RCC, the armed group is suspected to have abducted pilot Arun Malla and passenger Indra Bahadur Gurung, as their whereabouts were not known. The other three passengers – Suresh Bahadur Gurung, Krishna Kumari Gurung and Purna Bahadur Bhujel, are safe.

Meanwhile, Karnali Air appealed for the immediate release of the abducted people. It said the flight was arranged on the request of Minister KC to bring the husband of the deceased woman.

Similarly, the wife and daughters of the abducted pilot has appealed for his safe release.

Chitra Malla and daughters Angana and Aanchal Malla appealed for the pilot’s release, saying that he had flown to Jubu on humanitarian ground. They also said that pilot Malla has no political affiliations of any kind.