8 dead in Nepal aid air crash

A UH-1Y Huey takes off for a search and rescue mission from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Photo / AFP

Six US Marines and two Nepalese soldiers have died after their helicopter crashed in a mountainous region of earthquake-devastated Nepal.

The UH-1Y Huey had been delivering aid when it disappeared on Tuesday, with the wreckage found on Friday after a search mission involving helicopters and hundreds of American and Nepalese troops.

"Today our hearts are heavy with grief for the US Marines who perished when their helicopter went down in the mountains of Nepal earlier this week while providing aid to earthquake victims there," US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said yesterday. "We also join our Nepalese partners in mourning the loss of their service members who were on board the helicopter at the time.

"Our mission continues in Nepal, and we remain dedicated to answering the call when disaster strikes, both in the Asia-Pacific and around the world."

John Wissler, the commander of the joint task force investigating the helicopter's disappearance, earlier confirmed the wreckage of the helicopter had been found, describing the incident as a "severe crash".

He said he could not yet "positively identify the cause of the mishap", adding that recovery operations would resume yesterday after being called off due to heavy thunderstorms.

The aircraft was spotted in a remote forest around 70km northeast of Kathmandu, according to Nepalese army official Major General Binoj Basnet.

Basnet said troops had reached the crash site on foot and two choppers, including a US military helicopter, had managed to land in the mountainous region after strong winds had kept them circling the wreckage.

Before it went missing, there was "some chatter about a fuel problem" on the radio from the helicopter crew, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said.

- AAP