Nineteen people including three crew members were killed when a Dornier aircraft of the Sita Airways crashed near the Manohara River in Bhaktapur this morning.
The aircraft fell into a settlement near the river minutes after it took off from the Tribhuvan International Airport. The plane had taken off for Lukla in Solukhumbu district.
The aircraft fell over the landless squatters settlement near the Manohara River at Ward Number 16 of Madhyapur ThimAi Municipality.
All the bodies are burnt. The Nepal Army, the Armed Police Force, Nepal Police and local people are carrying out the rescue operation. Details of the incident are awaited, according to RSS reporter Ramesh Giri.
The three crew members who were among the 19 people killed when a Dornier aircraft of the Sita Airways crashed near the Manohara River in Bhaktapur at 6.20 a.m. today have been identified.
They are Captain Bijaya Tandukar of Chabahil, Kathmandu, Co-pilot Takosingh Thapa of Dhapakhel, Lalitpur and airhostess Ruja Shakya of Banepa, Kavre.
It is also learnt that among the victims is a Nepal Army soldier who was going to Lukla after his transfer. Similarly, eight among the dead are British nationals, five Japanese and two Italians.
Civil Aviation Minister Posta Bahadur Bogati inspected the crash site. General Manager of Tribhuvan International Airport, Ratish Chandralal Suman, said that the Black Box of the aircraft has been found.
Rescue work is on and the burnt bodies of the victims are being taken o hospital. Nepal Police and Nepal Army personnel have cordoned off the crash site and secured the area.
Only the tail portion of the aircraft is intact while the rest of the fuselage is completely burnt and damaged. The aircraft fell over the settlement near the Manohara River minutes after it took off for Lukla.
Sources:Rss
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