Plane with 19 on board crashes in Nepal

KATHMANDU– A 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.