Kathmandu, Aug 14 (PTI) In a freak accident, an Indian Kailash Mansarovar pilgrim died today after being hit by the rear blade of a helicopter at a remote helipad in Nepal's Hilsa region, an Indian embassy official said.

The deceased, identified as 42-year-old Kartik Nagendra Kumar Mehta, a resident of Mumbai, died when he rushed to board the helicopter and accidently hit its spinning tail rotor, the official told PTI.

He died on the spot.

It was a very sad incident and the Indian mission is coordinating with tour operators and ensuring all possible support, the official added.

According to My Republica, the deceased was beheaded with the tail rotor of the Manang Air helicopter (Manang-9N-AMV).

Assistant chief district officer Mahesh Kumar Pokharel said that the helicopter helicopter was on the ground at the time of the incident. The rear part of the helicopter was damaged.

The body will be taken to Simikot for a post-mortem and to hand over to the next to kin.

Nepal's Simikot and Hilsa are connected to the rest of the world only by small aircraft or helicopters and there is no other way to travel in and out of these places.

The pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibetan region of China is considered holy by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Every year, hundreds of Indians undertake the 'yatra' which involves trekking under inhospitable conditions.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)