'7 Britons dead' in Nepal air crash

Sep 28 2012

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is looking "urgently" into reports that seven Britons have been killed in a plane crash in Nepal.

Nepalese police said the Britons, as well as five Chinese, were among 19 people who died when the plane crashed shortly after take-off near Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

The twin-engine propeller plane, belonging to the domestic Sita Air, crashed near the Manohara River to the south west of the city. It had taken off just minutes earlier.

The plane was heading east towards Lukla, the gateway to Mt Everest and a popular destination for trekkers. Witnesses say it burst into flames and came down in a field, reports said.

The three crew members are Nepalese, while the 16 passengers are understood to be a mix of foreigners, and that two Italians were also killed in the crash.

A spokeswoman for the FCO said: "We understand that British nationals may be involved, and we are urgently seeking to confirm what has happened. Our embassy in Kathmandu is talking to the airline and local authorities to find out whether Britons were involved."

The pilot reported trouble two minutes after take-off and Kathmandu airport official Ratish Chandra Suman said the plane appeared to have been trying to turn back to the airport. The official could not confirm if the plane was already on fire before it crashed.

Weather in Kathmandu was clear at the time of the crash.

The airport's police chief, Narayan Bastakoti, said firefighters brought the fire in the wreckage under control and police rescuers were trying to pull out the bodies. He also confirmed that seven passengers were British and five were Chinese. The other three passengers and the four crew members were from Nepal, he said.

Thousands of Westerners head to the Himalayas every year to trek in the region around Mt Everest, the world's highest peak. Autumn is considered the best time to trek in the area.