"The helicopter belonging to Air Dynasty has crashed. We have found four dead bodies," Tilak Bharati, spokesperson for the district police, told Xinhua news agency.

He said the helicopter was flying from Kathmandu to Syafrubesi in Rasuwa district when it went down in Nuwakot's Shivapuri. The Chinese Embassy confirmed that the four passengers onboard were Chinese nationals, Xinhua news agency reported.

The helicopter lost contact with the control tower in Kathmandu three minutes after taking off, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said in a statement, noting that it crashed at 13:54 local time.

Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has expressed his sadness over the incident.