KATHMANDU, Nepal, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- A Nepal Yeti Airlines plane, carrying a dozen German tourists and others, crashed Wednesday near Mount Everest, killing 18 people, officials said.
The plane, which had taken off Wednesday morning from Kathmandu, was flying to the town of Lukla near the world's tallest mountain, when it hit a cliff and caught fire, CNN reported, quoting officials.
One crew member survived, a Yeti Airlines representative said.
CNN reported there were 12 German tourists, two Nepalese and others aboard the plane. The identities or nationalities of others were not immediately known. Xinhua news agency, quoting a Lukla airport official, reported there were 19 passengers and crew aboard the plane.
Lukla is about 155 miles east of Kathmandu. Most tourists fly into Lukla from where they go on trekking trips to the base camp of Everest located at about 15,700 feet of the 29,029-foot peak. October is the peak tourist season in the Himalayan republic.
