10 Indians among 19 killed in plane crash in Nepal

NEW DELHI| KATHMANDU: Ten Indians were among 19 people killed on Sunday when a small plane carrying them crashed and broke into pieces at Kotdanda hills near Kathmandu while returning from a sight-seeing trip around Mount Everest. The Beechcraft plane (BHA 103), which crashed at 7.30 am local time, belonged to the private Buddha Air airline, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). All 19 people aboard the plane, including 10 Indians, two Americans and a Japanese national, were killed in the crash, officials said.

Among those killed was a Nepalese passenger, who initially survived the crash but succumbed to his wounds in hospital after being rescued from the accident site at Kotdanda near Bishankhunarayan Temple in Lalitpur district near Kathmandu. Apart from 13 foreigners, the plane was carrying three Nepalese passengers and a three-member crew, according to the Rescue Coordination Centre, Tribhuvan International Airport, under the CAAN. The aircraft, which had taken tourists to view Mount Everest and other high peaks, crashed and broke into pieces at Kotdanda hills minutes after losing contact with the control tower .

The rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather in the region. The Indian nationals killed in the crash were identified as Pankaj Mehta and his wife Chhaya, and eight men from Tamil Nadu -- M V Marathachalam, M Manimaran, V M Kanakasabesan , A K Krishnan, R M Minaxi Sunsaram, K Thiyagarajan, T Dhanasekaran and Kattoos Mahalingam . Meanwhile, a small group from Tiruchirappali in Tamil Nadu will on Monday travel to Nepal to bring back the bodies of the Indians killed in the crash.

Eight of the 10 Indians were builders of the Tamil Nadu town. Lending the bereaved families a helping hand was Rajya Sabha member N Siva, who got in touch with the Indian embassy in Nepal. "We will take a flight to Delhi on Monday and then to Kathmandu. The Indian embassy officials have assured us necessary assistance," Siva said from Tiruchirapalli.