Kathmandu: Investigators searching the
site of a plane crash near Nepal`s capital Kathmandu in which
14 people died have found the plane`s black box data recorder,
a civil aviation official said on Wednesday.
The small Agni Air plane crashed in heavy rain last
week on its way back to Kathmandu airport after poor
visibility prevented it from landing in Lukla, a tiny
high-altitude airstrip used as a gateway to the Everest
region.
Six tourists -- four Americans, a Japanese and a
British citizen -- were among those who died when the plane
smashed into a valley south of Kathmandu, killing everyone on
board.
"I can confirm that the flight data recorder of the
crashed aircraft was found on Tuesday," the head of the civil
aviation authority Ram Prasad Neupane told AFP.
"Police are still searching for the cockpit voice
recorder and the government investigation team has started its
work."
Reports said the black box was found buried around 25
metres under a crater formed when the plane crashed into a
field last Tuesday and smashed into small pieces.
Thousands of travellers fly into Lukla, 140 kilometres
northeast of Kathmandu, every year to access the stunning
Himalayan range that forms Nepal`s northern border with
Chinese-controlled Tibet.
A five-member commission formed by the government to
investigate the cause of last week`s crash has been given two
months to prepare its findings.
PTI
