Nepal plane crash kills 18

KATHMANDU, NEPAL // A small airplane crashed and caught fire today as it tried to land in foggy weather at a tiny mountain airport near Mount Everest, killing 18 people, including 16 tourists from Germany, Australia and Nepal, an airport official said. Only one person, a pilot, survived the crash. The Yeti Airlines 19-seat Twin Otter plane, which had taken off from the capital, Kathmandu, snagged its wheels on a security fence during its landing at Lukla airport, about 60km from Mount Everest, said Mohan Adhikari, general manager of the Kathmandu airport.

The plane caught fire and came to a stop within the airport grounds, Mr Adhikari said. He said 19 people were on board, including 12 German, two Australian and two Nepalese tourists. There were also three Nepalese crew members. One of the Nepalese pilots survived the crash and was flown to Kathmandu for medical treatment, though his condition was not immediately known, he said. It was not clear if the survivor was the pilot or co-pilot of the plane.

The visibility at the airport was about 400 metres, just enough for the aircraft's landing, he said. The tiny Lukla airport, little more than a runway carved from the side of the Himalayas at an altitude of 2,800 meters, is an important jumping-off point for trekkers beginning their hikes and mountaineers heading to Everest. The walk takes several days from there to Mount Everest Base Camp. The airport is famous among travellers for its dramatic scenery, its stomach-lurching landings - and its occasional crashes. The end of the runway has a steep drop of a few hundred meters. In 2005, nine passengers and three crew members survived a crash in a small Gorkha Airlines plane with minor injuries.

*AP