The small Agni Air plane was on its way to Lukla, a popular trekking spot in the Everest region of eastern Nepal, when it crashed about 24 km south of Kathmandu, said ministry spokesman Jayamukunda Khanal.
Local television quoted villagers as saying the plane had crashed in Makwanpur, a district south-west of Kathmandu, and had broken up on impact. The cause was not immediately clear.
Thousands of travellers fly into Lukla, 140 km north-east of Kathmandu, every year to access the stunning Himalayan range that forms Nepal's northern border with Chinese-controlled Tibet.
The 550m sloping airstrip at Lukla perched on a hillside 2,757m above sea level is considered one of the most difficult landings in the world.
The last major accident was in 2008 when a Twin Otter plane carrying 18 people crashed at Lukla killing everyone on board. -- AFP
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