KATHMANDU -- Four Chinese nationals were killed when a helicopter crashed in Nuwakot district of Nepal's Bagmati province on Wednesday afternoon, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal confirmed.

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

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 are Chinese nationals.

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

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