Small plane crashes in western Japan

A small plane might have crashed in a mountainous area in Japan's western Nara prefecture on Monday, local media reported.

What was suspected to be the remains of a small plane has been seen on fire in that area and the local police and fire department were checking whether the wreckage belonged to a small plane losing contact earlier in the day, said the reports.

Two people were on board the plane that took off around 11:57 a.m. local time (0257 GMT) from the Yao Airport in Osaka for the Fukushima Airport and lost contact later.

Local residents told media that they heard what sounded like a crash around early Monday and could feel the ground shake at the sound.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)