A helicopter carrying state minister Gopal Rai and other prominent figures crashed in eastern Taplejung district, according to local media reports Sunday.

"Shree Airlines 9N-AHJ (MI-172) helicopter with 20 passengers and four crew members on board crashed as per the reports came from Tapalejung," a leading Nepali news website www. thehimalyantimes.com reported.

Jyoti Thapa, captain of Nepal Army, said that there was a strong stench of fuel in Suketar area of Taplejung district.

The helicopter carrying a Nepali state minister along with high government officials, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) staffers, diplomats and prominent personalities of Nepal went missing on Saturday morning.

Nepali official denies helicopter crash

An official with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) refuted reports that a helicopter has crashed with a state minister, diplomats and other prominent figures onboard.

Bimalesh Karna told Xinhua that the condition of the helicopter, which was reported missing since Saturday, was still unknown as three helicopters that went for search operation could not carry out the job due to bad weather condition.

Now all three helicopters are grounded and waiting for improvement in the weather condition.

The helicopter, leaving for district headquarters of Taplejujg from remote Ghumsa village of the same district, some 600 km east of Kathmandu was missing from Saturday morning.

Earlier, the leading Nepali news website www.thehimalyantimes.com reported that the helicopter has crashed.

Damodar Parajuli, secretary at the Nepali Forest Ministry, Pauli Mustonen Charge d'Affaires, Embassy of Finland, Margaret Alexander of the United States Agency for International Development and WWF staff were on board.

Mingma N Sherpa of WWF-U.S., Jill Bowling and Jennifer Headley of WWF-Britain, media people related to Nepal Television, four crew members along with prominent personalities were also traveling on the helicopter.

Source: Xinhua