Agni Air plane crash kills 15

Kathmandu: At least 15 persons were killed when an aircraft belonging to Agni Air crashed on a hilltop in Marfa VDC-5 near Jomsom of Mustang district at around 9.30 Monday morning.
Seven people were rescued alive from the crash site. There were 21 persons, including three crew members and 18 foreigners, on board the ill-starred 9N AIG Dornier aircraft. Two crew members and 13 Indian nationals are among those killed in the crash.
According to Pratap Babu Tiwari, Chief of Pokhara Airport, those rescued were airlifted to Pokhara by a Simrik Air chopper and a Tara Air aircraft for further treatment. One among the rescued is said to be in critical condition.
Tiwari who was at the crash site informed that two Danish nationals and an airhostess Roshni Haiju were airlifted by an aircraft of Tara Air to Pokhara Airport while a Simrik Air chopper rescued three Indian nationals identified as Kidambi Sreekanth, Tirumala Kidambi Sreevardhini, 9, and Tirumala Kidambi Sreepada, 6, to Manipal Hospital.
The deceased have been identified as Pilot Prabhu Sharan Pathak and Co-pilot JD Maharjan. The identification of other deceased has not been established yet.
The plane was heading for Muktinath pilgrimage in Jomsom from Pokhara. The reason behind the crash is yet to be ascertained.
A Nepal Army chopper left for Jomsom to ferry the bodies of the deceased to the Capital, a press statement issued by Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal stated.
14/05/12 eKantipur.com

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Categories: Foreign May 2012, Safety May 2012