Agni plane crashes in Jomsom; 15 including crew members killed, 6 injured

Kathmandu: An Agni Air 9N AIG plane crashed in Jomsom, the district headquarters of remote Mustang district, at 9:45 am today, leaving 15 persons, including the crew, dead and six others injured.
Although details are still sketchy, the tragedy occurred when the plane heading to Jomsom from Pokhara with 18 passengers and three crew members on board crashed into a hill during landing at the Jomsom airport. Among the passengers, 16 were Indian nationals while two were Danish.
The Indian nationals were going to Jomsom to pay a visit to Muktinath, a popular pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists. Westerners usually visit scenic Jomsom for trekking purpose.
Agni Air officials in Kathmandu are yet to identify the deceased and provide further details. Thirteen among the dead are Indian nationals and two are crew members - pilot Prabhu Sharan Pathak and co-pilot JD Maharjan.
Laxmi Gautam, Chief District Officer of Mustang, said some eight passengers were rescued alive by a team of Nepal Army and Nepal Police personnel involved in search and rescue operations immediately after the crash. The crash site is nearby the Nepal Army barracks.
14/05/12 Nepal News.com

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Categories: Foreign May 2012, Safety May 2012