10 Indian tourists killed in in Nepal plane crash

KATHMANDU: All 19 people, mostly Indian tourists, were killed early on Sunday after a small place carrying them crashed close to capital city Kathmandu. Rescuers had managed to bring out a lone survivor alive from the wreck site while 18 bodies had been recovered, police said. However, the survivor, identified as Nepal's Nirajan Karmacharya, 36, died while receiving medical treatment. The small aircraft, belonging to domestic airline Buddha Air, was flying mostly tourists on a mountain flight in northern Nepal when it crashed in Kotdanda in Lalitpur district, close to Kathmandu. It was carrying 16 passengers -- 10 Indians, three Nepalis and three foreigners. Eight of the Indians were said to be from Tamil Nadu. The three-member crew comprised of Captain J.V. Tamrakar, co-pilot Padma Adhikari and air-hostess Ashmita Adhikari. Two other passengers had been identified as Nepal's Jagan Karmacharya and Sharada Karmacharya. The aircraft flew around 7 a.m. from Kathmandu and went out of contact half an hour later. Initial reports said the crash could have occurred due to bad weather and poor visibility. An army aircraft rushed to the spot to help in the rescue operations. The aircraft lay devastated, scattered in pieces along with the dead bodies.