Nepal plane crash wreckage found, 21 bodies recovered

Asia-Pacific, News May 31, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Search and rescue teams in Nepal have recovered most of the bodies at the site of a plane crash in the Himalayan Mountains on Monday, said the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority. The search continues for the remaining person.

The turboprop Twin Otter, operated by Nepali carrier Tara Air, lost contact with the airport tower on Sunday (May 29) while flying on a scheduled 20-minute flight minutes before it was due to land.

There were 22 people on the flight including 19 passengers and three crew members. Two German nationals, four Indians, and 13 Nepali citizens were on board the flight, Nepal’s home ministry said.

The site where the aircraft wreckage was found is at an altitude of about 14,500 feet, an airport spokesperson said.

As many as 100 officials of the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, mountaineering rescue officials and locals took part in the search operation, according to Nepali media.

Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has formed an accident investigation commission to probe the plane crash on May 30.

*^{The crashed aircraft is a Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter plane, similar to this aircraft. (Image Credit: Yeti Airlines)}*

Nepal’s army said the plane crashed in Sanosware in Mustang district close to the mountain town of Jomsom, where it was heading after taking off from the resort town of Pokhara, 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Kathmandu.

The 43-year-old aircraft took off from Pokhara at 9:55 a.m. and transmitted its last signal at 10:07 a.m. at an altitude of 12,825 feet (3,900 meters), according to tracking data from flightradar24.com.

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest. The country has a record of air accidents.