A small private plane crashed in the remote mountains of northeast Nepal on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people, airline and airport officials told Reuters.

Twelve Germans and two other foreign nationals were among the dead. "There were 19 people on board," said Vinay Shakya, an official of Yeti Airlines, a domestic airline. A crew member survived.

The aircraft, a Twin Otter carrying 16 passengers and three crew, crashed shortly before it was due to land at Lukla, known as the gateway to Mount Everest, about 125 km (80 miles) northeast of the capital Kathmandu.

The remote airport at Lukla was built in the 1960s by mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary to facilitate expeditions to the world's tallest peak.

Airport official Mahesh Basnet told Reuters the plane might have hit a mountain top as it was coming in to land.

About a dozen private airlines operate in Nepal. Many fly to remote areas that have no roads, mostly carrying foreign tourists to the Himalayan foothills, including Mount Everest. - Reuters