Six people died in a helicopter crash near Mount Everest, and one fake video claiming to show what happened is going around on TikTok, spreading misinformation.
The victims of the crash included the Nepalese pilot C.B Gurung and five Mexican tourists, who were flying back to the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu, after a tour of the world’s largest peak. After the death of all the people on the helicopter was confirmed by officials, a fake video is trying to convince people it has captured the accident.
‘Mount Everest helicopter crash’ video on TikTok doesn’t show the real incident
A video circulating on TikTok is trying to convince people it has captured the helicopter crash near Mount Everest on Tuesday that claimed six lives.
The fake clip shows a random helicopter flying toward the top of a snowy mountain to land, but it appears to lose balance and turns upside down. The pilot, however, manages to regain control and starts to fly in the opposite direction.
The not-so-viral video is extremely misleading because many have titled it as ‘Mount Everest Helicopter Crash’, suggesting the real incident has been caught on camera. Some innocent social media users have even come to believe it to be true.
However, the helicopter involved in the actual incident was found away from its landing site following the crash, so the tragedy was never captured on camera.
While the officials confirmed the crash, no videos of the real incident or its aftermath have been made available publicly. It’s safe to the video on TikTok doesn’t depict the real incident even though the overlay text reads: “Helicopter crash near Mt. Everest. 6 died.”
Bodies of the victims were reportedly ‘broken’
The helicopter that crashed was carrying six people including the pilot. Apart from the captain who was flying it, the passengers who were tragically killed were Mexican tourists identified as Sifuentes G. Fernando, Gonzalez Abric, Gonzalez Olacio Luz, Sifuentes G. Maria Jose, and Rincon Ismael.
While the reason for the crash is still unclear, a regional official in the district of Solukhumbu, Sita Adhikari, said, “The bodies have broken into pieces” and “more police have been sent to the location. Only then will we know details.”
The helicopter reportedly took off when the weather was “good”, so an investigation is underway to understand what caused the aircraft to crash.
Pratap Babu Tiwari, who serves as the General Manager of TIACAO, said in a statement two rescue helicopters that departed after the crash were unable to land at the site of the crash due to “adverse weather.”
The Altitude Air helicopters instead landed in the “nearest appropriate place to the crash site.”
Victims were airlifted to Kathmandu hospital
The official said the bodies of the victims have been airlifted to a hospital in the capital city of Kathmandu for post-mortem.
The latest incident follows the plane crash in January in the tourist city of Pokhara, which claimed the life of 71 passengers.
The company to which the crashed helicopter belonged organizes various “Heli Tours” and aerial sightseeing services to destinations including the Everest region, the pilgrimage flight to the holy Muktinath, Langtang Valley, Lumbini – the birth place of Lord Buddha, and much more,” Manang Air’s website notes.
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