Tauranga man in dramatic Nepal rescue

Tauranga man Andrew Roy, who is a former NZ kayaking representative, was labelled a hero by witnesses to an airline crash near Mount Everest. Photo: Linkedin

A Tauranga man found himself at the centre of a daring rescue near Mount Everest on Saturday.

Andrew Roy is currently working as a Flight Paramedic for Air Dynasty Helicopter service, and was called to the scene when a cargo plane crashed.

The plane hit 20 metres below the runway of the Tenzing Hillary Airport at Lukla, the gateway to Mount Everest, government administrator Umesh Pandey said.

The plane was carrying two pilots and an air hostess, all were Nepali nationals.

One of the pilots died en route to hospital while the other was in a critical condition.

Two other Kiwis, Andrew Gutsell and Alyssa Lowe, also assisted in the rescue.

Andrew Roy, 24, helped cut open the plane's cockpit and pulled the pilots out, while Mr Gutsell jumped in to attempt to shut the engines off.

Despite the rescue efforts, the plane's pilot likely died on impact, while the co-pilot died while being treated.

"The plane was a complete wreck but after making sure it was safe and secure I was able to find my way to and assess both pilots,” says Roy.

"One pilot was dead, most likely on impact, but I was able to reach the co-pilot from the underside of the plane.

"He was alive, though trapped and unconscious. I found a small opening and was able to cut through obstructing metal to free the co-pilot."

The flight's hostess was flown to Kathmandu the next morning.

Air Dynasty nurse Ms Lowe praised her colleagues on Facebook.

"Mero Babu Andrew Roy, leading the rescue like a boss and getting the passengers out quickly and safely and Mero Dai captain Andrew Gutsell who gave me palpations jumping in the plane in attempt to shut down the engine," she wrote.

-Stuff and Newsie

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