Onlookers watch on helplessly around the blazing plane which crashed on the edge of the Nepalese capital, killing 19 people including seven Britons
The pilot reported trouble shortly after leaving Kathmandu airport and appeared to have been trying to turn back when it came down
Firefighters battle to douse the burning wreckage of a plane after it came down in a field just minutes after takning off from Kathmandu Airport
She told reporters: 'We could hear people inside the aircraft screaming, but we couldn't throw water at the plane to put out the fire because we were scared that the engines were about to explode.'
'The pilot tried his best to make an emergency landing. If he had managed it, then we could have rescued some of the passengers.'
The Dornier Aircraft 9N-AHA was just a kilometre away from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.
Villagers were unable to approach the plane because of the flames and it took some time for firefighters to bring the fire under control
The weather in Kathmandu and surrounding areas was clear on Friday morning and it was one of the first flights to take off from Kathmandu's Tribhuwan International Airport. Other flights reported no problems, and the airport operated normally.
Mobile phone video shot by local people showed the front section of the plane was on fire when it first hit the ground and it appeared the pilot had attempted to land the plane on open ground beside the river.
The fire quickly spread to the rear, but the tail was still in one piece at the scene near the Manohara River on the south-west edge of Kathmandu.
Villagers were unable to approach the plane because of the flames and it took some time for firefighters to reach the area and bring the fire under control.
Hundreds of rescuers and members of the public swarm around the site as investigators begin to piece together the events that led up to the tragedy
The plane, operated by domestic carrier Sita Air, came down just 500 yards from where it took off and appeared to be trying to return there when it came down
The aircraft, operated by domestic carrier Sita Air, came down minutes after take-off near the Manohara River on the southwest edge of Katmandu
It is not yet known what caused the crash, but the weather were good so investigators will focus on a possible fault with the aircraft
A rescue team member holds up bundles of money recovered from the plane. Soldiers and police also sifted through the wreckage to try to identify the victims
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