From: psycho@makalu.Stanford.EDU (Mr. Knotty Sycho)
Subject: Tahi jetliner crashes in Nepal, 11 Americans aboard
Keywords: international, non-usa government, government 
Organization: Peace and Freedom Institute, Stanford University
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 92 20:21:26 GMT




	KATMANDU, Nepal (UPI) -- A Thai Airways International jetliner
carrying more than 100 people, including 11 Americans, crashed Friday as
it tried to fly out of bad weather that prevented it from landing in the
Nepalese capital, airline and government officials said.
	There was no immediate word of survivors from the crash of Flight
TG311. The wreckage of the Airbus 310-300 jetliner was sighted on a
mountainside in the Himalayan nation several hours after it disappeared
from radar screens in Katmandu, a spokeswoman for the airline said.
	``The wreckage was discovered at 8:30 p.m. local time in Nepal on a
heavily forested mountainous area,'' the spokeswoman said. ``Troops and
police with rescue gear have already been dispatched by helicopter to
the site.''
	She said rescue efforts would be hampered by darkness.
	The wreckage was sighted near the village of Arga Khola, about 40
miles southwest of the capital, a senior Nepalese army official told
United Press International. Earlier, state-owned Radio Nepal had said
the crash sight was near the village of Aghor, in the same area.
	``We do not know if there are any survivors,'' said the officer, who
asked not to be identified. ``We have sent medical rescue, evecuation
and security teams to the spot.''
	The site of the wreckage could be at an altitude of anything from 4,
000 to 6,000 feet, he said. The crash site was spotted by a local army
unit in a hilly forested area, Radio Nepal said. Army and police medical
teams were rushed to the scene, the radio said.
	Government sources disclosed that among the passengers on board was
Santosh Koirala, wife of the prime minister's nephew, Niranjan Koirala,
who is tourism adviser to the premier.
	Because of darkness, rescue workers gave up an air search for the
Thai Airways plane, which disappeared Friday morning shortly after the
pilot requested and received permission to divert the flight back to
India because of bad weather in mountainous Nepal.
	Air traffic controllers in Katmandu said the pilot radioed for
permission to divert the flight just eight minutes before the plane was
due to land at 1 p.m. local time. Controllers said the plane was headed
southeast toward Bihar state in India at the time they lost contact.
	Authorities initially dispateched three helicopters to search the
hills and mountains south and east of the capital, but their work was
hampered by rain and heavy cloud cover until the air search was
abandoned.
	The Thai counter at Katmandu airport confirmed there were 99
passengers on board the plane. The nationalities of the passengers was
given as follows: five Belgians, 23 Nepalis, two Israelis, two Britons,
17 Japanese, 11 Americans, five Finns, two Canadians, one New Zealander,
one Australian, four Germans, two South Koreans, three Spaniards, four
Swiss, two Thais and six others whose nationalities were still unknown.
	The plane has a capacity of 247 passengers.
	More than 300 soldiers and policemen have been dispatched to the
crash site to help search for any survivors, army and police sources
said. The prime minister is expected to visit the crash site Saturday
morning.


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