Nepal plane crash 'caused by human error'
The chief rescuer at Nepal's international airport on Monday blamed human error for a plane crash that killed 16 holidaymakers returning from a tour around Mount Everest at the weekend.
The Buddha Air aircraft carrying 10 Indians, two Americans, a Japanese citizen and three local passengers, crashed into a hill in dense fog on Sunday at the outskirts of the capital.
Bimlesh Lal Karna, head of the rescue department at Tribhuvan International Airport, ruled out mechanical failure, saying: "If there was a technical problem, there should have been some hint of it."
"The plane had already flown for 45 minutes. No problem was noticed during that period. The bad weather prompted the pilot to take the wrong decision," he said.
Buddha Air, the private airline operating the tour, said it had launched its own investigation into the crash of its Beechcraft 1900D plane while a government inquiry team said it would take three months to report on the cause.
The Kathmandu-based airline said it had grounded Monday's flights as a mark of respect.
The remains of the tourists as well as those of the three dead Nepali flight crew were taken to a Kathmandu hospital for post-mortem examinations and were expected to be released to their families on Monday.
Investigators found the black box flight recorder several hours after the crash.
"We are meeting at the ministry to decide how to proceed ahead. I'm sure we will be able to find out the truth in the given period of three months," said Rajesh Dali, who is heading the government probe.
Buddha Air offers a 8,240 rupee ($140) "Everest Experience" package, taking tourists from Kathmandu and flying them around the world's tallest mountain and surrounding peaks.
The one-hour flights are popular among tourists, and several companies offer daily trips to view the 8,848 metres (29,029 feet) Everest summit.
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