The 50th anniversary of the climbing of Mt Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was marred by a helicopter crash, in which two people died, at base camp.
The two dead were Nepalis, said an army officer, who had earlier put the death toll at three.
A helicopter crewman from Kazakhstan and a German woman trekker on the ground were among the injured, hospital officials in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, told Reuters.
The Russian-built Mi-17, owned by private Simrik Airlines, was carrying eight people, including a crew of four, to the camp when it crashed. The cause of the crash was not known.
More than 1,000 people are at the base camp, part of 20-plus teams trying to climb the world's highest mountain as part of the golden jubilee celebrations to mark the first ascent.
Some 50 years ago on Thursday morning, New Zealand beekeeper Edmund Hillary and Indian-based Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of the 8,850 metre high mountain.
Both became instant celebrities around the world. Hillary, now grey, stooped and 83, is the guest of honour for elaborate festivities across Nepal. The impoverished country hopes the celebrations will help revive a tourism industry nearly wrecked by a Maoist revolt.
Although about 450 other summiteers are in Nepal for the festivities, Tenzing is absent. He died in 1986.
Hillary and other senior climbers are critical of the commercialism and ease of Everest summitting today. But the helicopter crash served as a reminder of the dangers that remain.
The helicopter was on its way to the camp to pick up climbers, including Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa who this week set a record of 10 hours and 46 minutes for the fastest climb from base camp.
The helicopter crashed about 100 metres from base camp as it was coming in to land. The fuselage of the chopper came to rest in a shallow, icy stream and scores of climbers and support staff from the base camp raced to the scene to drag out the injured.
The base camp itself is at 5,350 metres and most people trek for days through the mountains just to reach it.
Flying in by helicopter can be dangerous because of the high altitude, thin air and occasional strong winds.
© Reuters
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