Kathmandu, May 14
Thirteen Indian pilgrims were among 15 persons killed today when a small plane with 21 persons on board crashed in northern Nepal after hitting a hill top while attempting to land at a high-altitude airport.

Six others, including three Indians and two Danish nationals, miraculously survived the crash of the Dornier 9N AIG aircraft belonging to private carrier Agni Air, nearly eight months after 10 Indians perished in an air disaster near here.

The plane, which took off from Pokhara for Jomsom, crashed at 9.30 am local time while landing at the mountain airstrip, said an official at the Rescue Coordination Committee of Tribhuvan International Airport.

The passengers had chartered the flight to take them from the central tourist hub of Pokhara to Muktinath, a famous Hindu pilgrimage in Jomsom near Tibetan border at the foot of the Thorong La Himalayan mountain pass. There were possibilities of a technical fault.

So far nine bodies, including those of pilot Prabhu Sharan Pathak and co-pilot JD Maharjan have been recovered. The injured were taken to a hospital in Pokhara and the three Indians who survived were out of danger, an official said. — PTI