Nepal plane crash kills 19
Sunday, September 25, 2011
An aeroplane crash in the Asian country of Nepal has resulted in the death of all nineteen of the vehicle's occupants. The aircraft was travelling around the region of Mount Everest, carrying sightseers.
The crash occurred shortly after contact with the aircraft was lost, which was around 0730 NPT today. Bimlesh Lal Karna, Tribhuvan International Airport rescue section leader, informed Agence France-Presse: "All 19 people have died. The Buddha Air-103 was returning from a mountain flight when it crashed into Kotdada Hill".
On person onboard the plane, police said, survived the crash on a hill near Kathmandu, but died later in a hospital. Among the victims were ten Indian, two US, and one Japanese passenger; the other three passengers and the three crew were Nepali.
According to police, an investigation of the cause of the crash has been started. A black box recorder was found at the scene in the hours after the accident. When the crash occurred, weather conditions in the region were poor, with fog and heavy rain.
The plane had been on of the country's 'mountain flights', which transport tourists over the Everest region, allowing them to observe various peaks from the airplane windows.
Sources
- "Plane Crashes in Nepal, Kills All 19 Onboard" — VOA News, September 25, 2011
- Deepak Adhikari. "Everest tour plane crash kills all 19 on board" — Agence France-Presse, September 25, 2011