14 killed in Nepal tourist plane crash

KAThMANDU - A small passenger plane heading to the Qomolangma region crashed in heavy rain on Tuesday outside Nepal's capital, killing all 14 people aboard, including four Americans, a Briton and a Japanese national, officials said.

The private Agni Air plane went down near Shikharpur village, about 80 km (50 miles) south of Katmandu, area police chief Ram Bahadur Shrestha said.

The German-built Dornier turboprop airplane was carrying 11 passengers and three crew members. It was headed to Lukla, a popular stop for trekkers and mountaineers, when cloud cover there forced it to turn back to the capital.