A light aircraft crashed and caught fire yesterday as it tried to land in foggy weather at a tiny mountain airport near Mount Everest, killing 18 people, including 16 tourists from Germany, Australia and Nepal.

The pilot was the only survivor.

The 19-seat Yeti Airlines plane, which had taken off from the capital, Kathmandu, snagged its wheels on a security fence during its landing at Lukla airport, about 40 miles from Mount Everest, said Mohan Adhikari, general manager of Kathmandu airport.

The DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter caught fire and came to a stop in the airport grounds, he said.

A fog had descended just before the crash, said Suraj Kunwar, who was at Lukla waiting for a flight.

"Suddenly there was a big bang, and flames came out of the plane," he said. "All the passengers waiting for planes ran to help douse the flames, but the passengers were already dead."

Lukla airport, little more than a runway carved into the side of the Himalayas at an altitude of 9200ft, is famed for its dramatic scenery, stomach-lurching landings and occasional crashes. The runway ends in a steep drop.

Adhikari said 19 people were on the plane, including 12 German, two Australian and two Nepalese tourists. There were also three Nepalese crew. The pilot was flown to Kathmandu and was in critical condition though Vijay Shreshta, executive director of Yeti Airlines, said his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The 12 Germans were on a tour run by Munich-based Hauser Exkursionen.

"We are completely shocked," said Michael Schott, who owns the company, adding that one of the Nepalese victims was the tour guide.

The airport at Lukla was built in the 1960s by Sir Edmund Hillary to facilitate expeditions to Mount Everest and bring development to the area where the Sherpa community live.

Nepal named the airport this year after Hillary and his climbing mate, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, as a tribute to the pair who climbed Everest first in 1953.