A plane carrying 19 people crashed shortly after taking off in Katmandu, Nepal, catching fire and killing all on board. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.By NBC News wire servicesKATMANDU, Nepal -- A plane carrying trekkers to the Everest region crashed and caught fire just after takeoff Friday in Nepal's capital, killing 19 people.
The victims included British, Chinese and Nepali passengers, authorities said.
The pilot of the domestic Sita Air flight reported trouble two minutes after takeoff, and Katmandu airport official Ratish Chandra Suman said the pilot appeared to have been trying to turn back.
The crash site is only 547 yards from the airport, and the wrecked plane was pointing toward the airport area.
Reuters said it was a twin-engine, propeller-driven Dornier aircraft.
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (http://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld) Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the crash and identify the bodies. Suman said he could not confirm if the plane was already on fire before it crashed.
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Thats so sad, it was a very unfortunate incident.