E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Santosh Pokharal / Reuters
Flight attendant Roshni Saiju is brought to hospital for treatment after being rescued.
KATMANDU, Nepal -- A plane crashed into a mountain in the Himalayas while trying to land at an airport in northern Nepal on Monday, killing 15 people and critically injuring six.
The plane hit a mountain while it was turning around to land at Jomsom Airport, said Laxmi Raj Sharma, chief government administrator in the area. The wrecked aircraft was in pieces but did not catch fire.
Sharma said initial investigations show that the plane might have suffered technical problems. The airport is at 8,800 feet elevation, where flying is more difficult.
Umesh Pun / AFP - Getty Images
A survivor looks on after receiving medical attention at a hospital in Pokhara, Nepal.
'Hit a muddy slope'
Sharma said survivors were flown to the nearby city of Pokhara for treatment.
Police official Binod Singh told AFP that the plane "hit a muddy slope and the plane is now buried in the side of the hill."
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai issued a statement expressing condolences at the deaths of the 15 people.
Police official Nareswor Aryal the plane carried two pilots and a flight attendant -- all Nepalese -- along with 16 Indians and two Westerners. Aryal couldn't immediately say where the Westerners are from. However, AFP reported that two Danish nationals were among the passengers.
The airport is a gateway to a popular destination for trekkers and for Hindu pilgrims on their way to the revered Muktinath temple. It is about 125 miles northwest of the capital, Katmandu.
The Dornier aircraft belonged to the local Agni Air company.
The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Now towering over London: 'The Godzilla of public art'
- France's 'Monsieur' Normal takes office ... unmarried
- Too busy to put the kids to bed? Try 24-hour daycare
- 88,000-mile voyage? Plastic card found after 33 years
- Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp axed
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
Leave a Comment:
To all pilots...mountains don't duck if coming at them!
Watched "10 most dangerous airports". #1 was in Nepal where you land if your going to Everest. Its on the side of a mountain. The approach is into the mountain with an upslope to slow the plane. I'm sure this airport is the same.
This is why you should always sit in the back of an airplane. Who ever heard of a plane backing into a mountain?
Bscol, actually studies have shown that no particular area of the plane is the "safest" in terms of plane crashes. In the event you do survive, your best bet is to sit as close to possible to emergency exits.
Was it a Russian plane?
You didn't read the article, did you? The plane was a Dornier. So now, are you going to disparage German aircraft?
Does it matter that the article already gave you the info ? Read the whole article.
Thank God ,these people survived the crash.
Rest in peace to those who passed away!Nepalese people are one of the kindest people I've met in my lifetime.
I sincerely wish for the recovery of the injured.
WTF? Have all the mountains got taller all of a sudden?
"You should see the other guy"
I have flown into this airport, and let me tell you even on a good day it is a harrowing experience. The landing strip (basically an unpaved strip of dirt) is located in the narrowest of valleys. The small plane has to bank about 20-30ft from the side of the mountain in order to touch down. The pilots are ex-Gurkha soldiers, British trained and they do not take risks, the flights are cancelled or postponed until weather conditions permit. My flights was scheduled for 7am, we didn't take off until 12:30pm. The plane we flew is was a twin prop, don't know the make, but was in fairly good shape. This is a very popular destination, the pilots are probably better than most US pilots being that they actually fly the planes day in and day (most jets are flown and landed by auto pilot) in the toughest possible conditions. Simply a tragedy.
Thanks Steve, for a reasoned post.
I'm getting ready to head over in August. There is a train to Tibet but it takes 3 days. Flying into Dharamsala is just as tricky.
Too bad about the deaths, Nepal gets enough bad news every day due to idiotic Moaists with out adding accidents to the mix. It's just another straw in the load thats breaking the back of a once great nation being brought to ruin by leftists.
Couldn't agree more.Not necessarily ruined though.A new chapter is awaiting this beautiful country with the promulgation of a new constitution.
and i thought landing in montego bay was scary...
Jeanette-767450, take the train and stay alive!
#1 cause of plane crashes? Trying to fly below ground level.
Trying to be cute.... didn't make it. Crashed and burned.
This is one if not THE MOST dangerous airports in the world, and Nepal is the most beautiful country in the world.