Dear Phil Luke,

As a valued supporter of WWF I am writing to make you aware of the tragic event which you may well have seen on the news. A Shree Air helicopter carrying WWF delegates visiting the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area at Taplejung in Nepal has crashed in the mountains of eastern Nepal, with no survivors.

Seven WWF staff from offices in Nepal, the UK and the US were on board, as well as high-ranking government officials, representatives of aid agencies, journalists and Russian crew members.

There were two WWF-UK staff on board; Dr. Jill Bowling Schlaepfer, our Conservation Director and Jennifer Headley, a Coordinator for the Himalaya/South Asia region.

Jill, Jenn, and the other passengers, were in Kangchenjunga celebrating a great achievement for WWF. The helicopter was returning from an inauguration ceremony which saw the Nepalese government hand over the conservation of the wildlife and habitats surrounding Kangchenjunga - the world's third-highest mountain - to a coalition of local communities.

Our hearts go out to Jill and Jenn's families. The news has left their colleagues numb, both here in the UK and around the world. Jill and Jenn were wonderful people, with a zeal for life and tremendous enthusiasm for their conservation work, which was their passion. They were fine people and we will miss them dreadfully.

If you would like to talk to us about this then please do call our Supporter Relations team on 01483 426 333. You can also visit our website www.wwf.org.uk, which is being updated regularly.

We thank you for your support during this very difficult time.

Yours sincerely

Robert Napier
Chief Executive WWF-UK

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