KATHMANDU: At least 15 people have been killed in a plane crash in the northwestern region of Nepal on Monday morning, government officials confirmed to Bikyamasr.com. The Nepal Army said the plane belonging to Agni Air crashed in the early morning after it slammed into the side of a mountain near Mount Annapurna close to Jomsom. Six people were reported to have survived the crash. Ramindra Chettri, Nepal Army spokesperson, told China's Xinhua news agency that 15 bodies have been recovered and six people who were rescued are undergoing treatment at hospital in Pokhara. “A Nepal Army MI-17 helicopter has flown to the crash site to bring the bodies to the capital,” Chettri said. He added that there were three crew members and 18 foreign passengers including 16 Indians on board. The Jomsom Airport, about 200 kilometers northwest of the capital Kathmandu, is a gateway to a popular tourist and trekking destination along with pilgrimage for the Hindus. Site-seeing flights in the country are known to not be the safest, with accidents occurring on a more than regular basis in the country, as tourists want to get a closer look at the Himalayas.
