Tourists die in Nepal air crash

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Amateur film of air crash aftermath

Twelve German tourists were among 18 people killed when a passenger plane crashed in Nepal's Everest region, airport officials say.

The Yeti Airlines plane was carrying 16 passengers and three crew when it crashed during landing at an airport in the eastern town of Lukla, they said.

Only one Nepalese man, the pilot, survived the crash.

The plane reportedly caught fire after crash-landing and hitting the perimeter boundary at the airstrip.

"There were 12 Germans and two Australians on the flight," airport official Mohan Adhikari told the AFP news agency.

Earlier reports said that two Swiss tourists had died, but they were later confirmed as Australian.

Four Nepalis - two passengers and two crew members - were also killed, according to Mr Adhikari.

Nestling on a mountainside at 9,380ft (2,860m), Lukla's Tenzing-Hillary airport is popular with mountaineers and trekkers heading for expeditions in the Himalayas.

In fine weather, there are daily flights between Lukla and the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.

Lukla's runway is just 20m wide and is set on a slope, with a steep 700m drop at one end.