Two helicopters smashed near the Mount Everest base camp in front of onlookers, killing a tourist and injuring another person.

Climbers and hikers were gathered near a helipad in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district when the accident unfolded.

Footage shows two helicopters circling in, seemingly ready to land as they fly low, some feet above the ground.

But instead of passing each other, they brush, and the blue-and-white helicopter slams to the ground first after its rotor hits the other aircraft’s body.

It appears to land upright on the snowy ground.

The second, red helicopter crash-lands on its side, with onlookers dashing for safety as the rotor blade digs into the icy surface.

An Indian tourist was confirmed killed in the crash, while another passenger, a 49-year-old man from New Zealand, was injured.

Nepali police named the traveller as a 47-year-old Vasanth Kumar Balaramaramadu from Chennai.

Pilots of both helicopters were left with minor injuries and were taken to the capital Kathmandu for treatment.

The smash happened shortly after 8am local time (2.15am in the UK) today in the mountainous region that is famously difficult for flying.

They had tried to land at the Pheriche helipad in Ward 4 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality located in a narrow passage at the foot of Mount Everest.

Up to 60,000 people trek to the Everest Base Camp every year, while the nearby Sagarmatha National Park welcomes 100,000 visitors every season.

The peak tourist seasons are April to May and October to November.

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