Chopper carrying U.N. staff crashes in Nepal, 10 dead

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed when a helicopter carrying United Nations officials crashed in bad weather over hilly terrain near Nepal's capital on Monday, police and airport officials said.

It was not immediately clear if there were any survivors and the United Nations could not confirm the number of people on board.

A police officer in Kathmandu said 10 bodies had been recovered.

The chopper was flying U.N. officials on an arms monitoring mission at the camps of former Maoist rebels who joined the government after a landmark peace deal in 2006.

"Police have already reached the site," Ramesh Mahat, an airport official, said. "It is raining there."

The helicopter went missing on its way to Kathmandu from Sindhuli, about 65 km (40 miles) from the Nepali capital.

The U.N. Mission in Nepal said local authorities had told it that the helicopter had been found and that there were fatalities. It has sent a party by road to the site of the reported crash to seek additional information.