Police in Nepal say a plane crash near an airport in the country's north has killed 15 people.

Authorities say six people on board, including two Danes and two children, survived Monday's crash. The plane, belonging to local carrier Agni Air, went down while trying to land at an airport in Jomsom, a hub for Hindu pilgrims and trekkers.

Officials say just before the crash, the pilot told air traffic control that the plane was having technical problems and that he was diverting back to the city of Pokhara for an emergency landing.

The Jomsom airport, at an elevation of 2,700 meters, is known for being among the world's most dangerous.

Nepal's Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai expressed his condolences for the crash.

This is the second deadly accident for Agni Air in less than two years. In August of 2010, one of the airline's planes crashed in the Himalayan region, killing 14 people — including four Americans.

And last September, a Buddha Air flight carrying tourists to view Mount Everest crashed near Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, killing all 19 people on board.