Military plane carrying 5 people crashes in western Nepal

Military plane carrying 5 people crashes in western Nepal

2011-10-18 23:04:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

DHORPATAN, NEPAL (BNO NEWS) -- A military plane carrying at least five people crashed in the western region of Nepal on early Tuesday evening, officials said. It was not immediately known if there are survivors.

The accident happened just after 7 p.m. local time when the Britten-Norman Islander aircraft lost contact with air traffic control as it was flying near the village of Dhorpatan in Baglung District, which is located in the country's Dhawalagiri zone.

Nepali Army officials said at least five people were believed to be on board the aircraft, including two pilots who were identified as Bikash Singh Rathod and Diwakar Karki. Residents in Dhorpatan reported hearing a loud explosion and noticed a hill in the area was on fire.

The aircraft had reportedly taken off from the municipality of Nepalgunj in the Banke district after transporting a patient. It was not immediately clear if there were survivors as rescue workers had not yet reached the scene.

On September 25, eighteen people were killed when a small Buddha Air passenger plane carrying tourists on a sightseeing trip crashed into a residential building in the village of Bisankhunarayan in Kathmandu Valley, located several kilometers (miles) from the capital of Kathmandu. There were no survivors.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-18

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Edited October 19, 201114 yr by cdnvic