At least five people were injured when a Nepal Airlines plane crashed into a river Thursday as it tried to land in the north-western town of Jomsom, dpa quoted local media as reporting. The flight from Pokara, 150 kilometres north-west of Kathmandu, fell into the river next to the airport, according to the government-run Nepal Television. There were no fatalities reported among the plane's 19 passengers, including a child, and three crew, but five people on board were in serious condition with injuries, news reports said. "The plane skidded off the runway as it was trying to land and then it fell into the Kali Gandaki River," said Chandra Mohan Gauchan, a former airline officer who helped with the rescue work. "Its nose and wing are broken but the full body landed in the river and we were able to pull out everyone alive." Eight of the passengers were Japanese tourists. The rescued passengers were being flown to Pokhara hospitals by another domestic airline.
