19 die as plane of trekkers crashes after hitting bird

A plane carrying trekkers to the Mount Everest region hit a bird and crashed just after take-off in Nepal’s capital, killing the 19 Nepali, British, and Chinese people on board.

The pilot of the domestic Sita Air flight reported trouble two minutes after take-off and appeared to have been trying to turn back, said Katmandu airport official Ratish Chandra Suman.

The crash site is only 500m from the airport, and the wrecked plane was pointing toward the airport area. Suman said the plane hit a vulture just after it took off, causing the crash.