Passenger plane makes emergency landing in Nepal

[KATHMANDU] A passenger plane with 11 people on board made an emergency landing in western Nepal on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of fatalities, an official said.

The incident came two days after a Twin Otter turboprop plane crashed into a mountainside in Nepal killing all 23 people on board.

"The plane made a forced landing in Kalikot," aviation official Pratap Babu Tiwari told AFP, referring to a district in western Nepal.

It was not clear what forced the plane to land and Tiwari said he had no immediate information on casualties.

Nepal Army spokesman Tara Bahadur Karki said rescue teams have been dispatched to the area.

"We will get more information once the team reaches the site," Karki said.

The plane was carrying nine passengers and two crew when it took off from an airport in the town of Nepalgunj, 300 kilometres west of Kathmandu.

Air travel is popular in Nepal, which has only a limited road network. Many communities, particularly in the mountains and hills, are accessible only on foot or by air.

The country, which is still reeling from a devastating earthquake last April, has suffered a number of air disasters in recent years, dealing a blow to its tourist industry.

AFP