'Tourists die' in Nepal air crash

[dirtydog]

'Tourists die' in Nepal air crash

Twelve German tourists were among 18 people killed when a passenger plane crashed in Nepal's Everest region.

A total of 14 foreigners are believed to have died, airport officials said.

Only one Nepalese passenger survived as the Yeti Airlines plane crashed during landing at Tenzing-Hillary airport in the eastern town of Lukla, they said.

Nestling on a mountainside at 9,380ft (2,860m), the airport is popular with mountaineers and trekkers heading for expeditions in the Himalayas.

The plane reportedly caught fire after crash-landing and hitting the perimeter boundary at the airstrip.

"Twelve German and two Swiss people were on the passenger manifest," airport official Mohan Adhikari told AFP.

In fine weather, there are daily flights between Lukla and the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. Lukla's runway is just 20m wide and is set on a slope, with a steep 700m drop at one end.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | 'Tourists die' in Nepal air crash

Nepal News Headlines

Nepal Weather Forecasts

[kingwilly]

damn,

I've flown that trip, not surprising really.

[buriramboy]

Lukla's runway is just 20m wide and is set on a slope, with a steep 700m drop at one end.

Fcuk that.

[dirtydog]

Doesn't seem a real sensible place to build a runway does it

[dirtydog]

18 killed in Nepal tourist plane crash

KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- A small plane carrying tourists from Germany and Australia hit a fence and caught fire in Nepal's Everest region Wednesday morning, killing 18 of 19 people on board, officials said.
The pilot of the Yeti Airlines plane is brought by medical staff into a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The plane carried 16 passengers -- including 12 German tourists, two Australians and two Nepalis as well as three crew members.
"Only one crew member survived," said Binaya Shakya of Yeti Airlines, the company that operated the plane.

The plane was headed from the capital city, Kathmandu, to Lukla airport, about 155 miles (250 km) to the east.
It caught fire after hitting an airport fence as it was trying to land at the airport, the country's Civil Aviation Authority said.

The airline said the airport, at an altitude of about 9,186 feet (2,800 meters) was suddenly enveloped by fog when plane was landing.
Tourists fly to Lukla and trek to the Everest Base Camp at about 15,700 feet (4,800 meters).

October is the peak tourist season in the country.

18 killed in Nepal tourist plane crash - CNN.com

[dirtydog]

Two Australians among 18 dead in crash near Everest
Matt Wade Herald correspondent in Delhi
October 9, 2008

TWO Australian travellers were among 18 people killed when a small plane crashed and caught fire while landing at a remote airfield near Mount Everest in Nepal yesterday.

A spokesman for Yeti Airlines, Vinay Shakya, released the names of two people he said were the dead Australians. One is Charlene Zamudio.

The Herald has withheld the name of a dead man because he has family who may not have been contacted by Australian officials.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said both Australians listed on the flight list were from Victoria.

Twelve Germans and four Nepalis were killed in the crash. The aircraft's captain survived and was taken to the capital, Kathmandu, for treatment for head injuries.

Mohan Adhikari, general manager of the Kathmandu airport, who was in charge of the emergency response to the crash, said the De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter snagged its wheels on a fence while landing at Lukla airport, about 60 kilometres from Mount Everest.

"The aircraft took off from Kathmandu when the weather was all right but later on the weather deteriorated. Perhaps the deteriorated weather contributed," Mr Adhikari said.

Lukla is the starting point for many treks and climbing expeditions. Its Tenzing-Hillary Airport is about 2800 metres above sea level and is surrounded by mountains. The runway is on an incline and there is a cliff at one end. It can only be used by helicopters and short take-off and landing fixed-wing aircraft.

Mr Shakya, said the airport was "a challenging one for operations" and the weather there was "not very predictable".
"The aircraft crashed on approach to the mountain airfield at Lukla due to poor visibility," he said. He said the visibility there at the time of the crash was about 400 metres, just enough for the aircraft to land.
"Very unfortunately, and very sadly, 18 people were killed," he said.

Mr Adhikari said many of the bodies may not be recognisable because of the fire that engulfed the aircraft, which was built in 1980.

The remains of the dead passengers and some aircraft wreckage were taken to Kathmandu by helicopter yesterday afternoon.

The airline, founded in 1998, has promised a thorough investigation into the crash.

Two Australians among 18 dead in crash near Everest - World - smh.com.au

Amateur video of Nepal plane crash

Everest plane crash aftermath

Plane Crash in Nepal

A small passenger plane made a crash landing today in Nepal's Everest region. 18 people are dead... mostly German tourists.

Officials say that a Yeti Airlines plane crashed at Lukla airport while it was landing. The aircraft was a Twin Otter carrying 16 passengers and three crew.

One crew member survived the crash. Officials say it might have crashed after the plane hit a mountaintop as it was coming in to land.

About a dozen private airlines operate in Nepal.

[dirtydog]

German team starts to identify Nepal crash victims

Kathmandu - A three-member German expert team Thursday began examination of the bodies of 18 people who were killed in air crash in northern Nepal, officials said.
The forensic experts examined six bodies just hours after arriving in Kathmandu from Germany.
Nepalese police official said more tests were necessary and that a nine-member team was expected to check dental records of the victims.
No other details were given.
The victims of Wednesday's crash at Lukla airport, about 150 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu, included 12 German tourists.
The tourists were on their way to the Everest region for trekking. Earlier Thursday, Nepalese officials said they had accepted German offers of help to identify the victims. "The German government on Wednesday asked Nepal to allow its forensic team to help identify the victims," Home Ministry spokesman Mod Raj Dotel said. "We have accepted their request."Michael Schott, an executive of the Hauser Exkursionen travel agency in Munich, Germany, said on NTV news television that he had been advised by Germany's BKA federal police agency that two German police officers were due to arrive in Kathmandu. Schott said he was told a third officer based in New Delhi was also flying to Nepal.

German police said a newly married couple from the city of Braunschweig on a honeymoon trip had been on the ill-fated plane.
Wolfgang Klages of the Braunschweig police said genetic samples were being sent to Nepal to identify them.
Most of the victims'bodies were burned beyond recognition, and Nepal's lack of forensic experts and facilities has added to the difficulties in identifying the crash victims. "So far, we have not been able to identify the foreign tourists," Dotel said. "It becomes extremely difficult if family members are not there to make identification."The hospital where the bodies were being kept said it would release the bodies to the families once they were identified. The hospital said three Nepali nationals killed in the crash were identified on Wednesday and their bodies handed over to their families.
Four Nepalese, including a co-pilot and flight attendant, and two Australians were also among those killed in the crash.
Meanwhile, the lone survivor, the pilot of the Canadian-built Twin Otter plane belonging to Yeti Airlines, was recovering in hospital and was reported to be out of danger.
Rescue workers told local media in Kathmandu that Captain Surendra Kumar Kunwar had enquired about the fate of the passengers and other crew members when he was being airlifted to hospital.
The plane crashed while landing at Lukla airport, which is perched on a hillside 2,757 metres above sea level.
A German accident investigator was also dispatched to Nepal to act as an observer in the investigation of the crash, the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation said Thursday.

German team starts to identify Nepal crash victims - Summary : Asia World

Nepal News Headlines

[kingwilly]

and Nepal's lack of forensic experts and facilities has added to the difficulties in identifying the crash victims.

do they not create a list of passengers for each flight?

[dirtydog]

Yeah, but which charred up body is which?

[kingwilly]

Yeah, but which charred up body is which?

does it really matter? just give all the families an urn of ashes.