This is very, very sad news. The helicopter has not been found as of Sunday night -- 36 hours after it was first reported missing. Some of the passengers were said to have been carrying satellite phones and other communication devices; they have not contacted anyone yet, nor has anyone been able to contact any one of them. The Nepali group has some of Nepal's best-known names in the field of nature/wild life conservation. Dr. Harka Gurung, of course, is in a category of his own -- being a polymath that he is. May God give their families strength to cope with the uncertainties, and may there be good news for all soon. oohi ashu