An passenger jet carrying 19 people towards an airport in the shadow of Mount Everest crashed Friday on the outskirts of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, police said, with all on board feared dead.
An passenger jet carrying 19 people towards an airport in the shadow of Mount Everest crashed Friday on the outskirts of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, police said, with all on board feared dead.
"A Sita Air plane carrying 16 passengers and three crew crashed near Kathmandu airport. Rescuers are trying to put out the fire," police spokesman Binod Singh told AFP.
Singh said the aircraft had taken off minutes earlier and was bound for Lukla, a small town in northeastern Nepal which serves as the gateway to Everest.
"All 19 are feared dead. The plane plunged into the banks of the Manohara river on the outskirts of Kathmandu. The crash occurred at around 6:30 am," he said.
Dozens of army personnel were racing to the crash site, said Nepalese army spokesman Ramindra Chhetri, to bring the blaze under control.
The nationality of the passengers was not immediately clear.
Nepal has a poor road network and large numbers of tourists, pilgrims and professional climbers often rely on the country's 16 domestic airlines and 49 airports to reach remote areas.
The latest fatal crash in Nepal -- the sixth in less than two years -- could potentially lead to new scrutiny of the country's numerous small airlines, which provide vital links to remote parts of the country.
Aircraft and pilots often have to contend with bad weather and difficult landing strips in the Himalayan nation.
In another recent accident in Nepal, a small Agni Air plane taking tourists to a treacherous high-altitude airport near the Annapurna mountain region ploughed into the ground, killing 15 people on board.
"A Sita Air plane carrying 16 passengers and three crew crashed near Kathmandu airport. Rescuers are trying to put out the fire," police spokesman Binod Singh told AFP.
Singh said the aircraft had taken off minutes earlier and was bound for Lukla, a small town in northeastern Nepal which serves as the gateway to Everest.
"All 19 are feared dead. The plane plunged into the banks of the Manohara river on the outskirts of Kathmandu. The crash occurred at around 6:30 am," he said.
Dozens of army personnel were racing to the crash site, said Nepalese army spokesman Ramindra Chhetri, to bring the blaze under control.
The nationality of the passengers was not immediately clear.
Nepal has a poor road network and large numbers of tourists, pilgrims and professional climbers often rely on the country's 16 domestic airlines and 49 airports to reach remote areas.
The latest fatal crash in Nepal -- the sixth in less than two years -- could potentially lead to new scrutiny of the country's numerous small airlines, which provide vital links to remote parts of the country.
Aircraft and pilots often have to contend with bad weather and difficult landing strips in the Himalayan nation.
In another recent accident in Nepal, a small Agni Air plane taking tourists to a treacherous high-altitude airport near the Annapurna mountain region ploughed into the ground, killing 15 people on board.
No comments:
Post a Comment