KATHMANDU, 25 September, 2011
A small plane carrying foreign tourists crashed in a hill south of Kathmandu airport early on Sunday, killing 18 people. The accident site lies between Lamatar and Bisankhunarayan VDCs in Lalitpur, around 15 kilometers south of the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Eighteen dead bodies have been recovered from the site, according to SP Bhog Bahadur Thapa, who is overseeing rescue operations.

In all, there were 19 people—mostly foreigners including ten Indians—onboard the Buddha Air beechcraft. The ill-fated aircraft was approaching Kathmandu airport in cloudy weather after completing its mountain flight.

Some locals said the plane caught fire shortly before the crash. While others said it flew lower than its usual course before it crashed.

Buddha Air has suspended all its scheduled flights for Sunday following the accident. It is the first crash involving a Buddha Air plane. Police moved rescue team to the site after they got a call from the locals near the crash site around 8 a.m.

Source: ekantipur.com