Deadly air crash at Nepalese airport

RIMANEWS-A plane with 21 people on board has crashed while trying to land at a mountain airstrip near a popular tourist destination in Nepal's northern Himalayas, police said.

Monday's accident happened at Jomsom airport, about 200km northwest of the capital Kathmandu, a gateway to a popular tourism and trekking destination situated more than 2,600m above sea level.

Rescuers recovered at least nine bodies from the wreckage, while four survivors in a critical condition were flown by helicopter to hospital in the nearby city of Pokhara, said Laxmi Raj Sharma, chief government administrator in the area.

Nareswor Aryal, a local police official, adding that 16 people aboard the plane were Indian and two other passengers were foreigners, although he could not confirm their nationalities.

The aircraft involved in the accident was a Dornier plane belonging to the local Agri Air company. The airline operates three German-built Dornier 228 aircraft, according to the airline's website.[ach/AJE]