Nepal plane crash: Burnt-out wreckage of Tara Air flight located, search for survivors continues

An airline official said the plane operated by Tara Air was carrying four Indians of the same family from Mumbai and two German citizens; the rest of the people on board are said to be Nepalese, reports Reuters.

UPDATE: Burnt our wreckage of Tara Air flight found at Kowang of Mustang Valley. The Nepal Army has started search and rescue operations for 22 passengers, who were onboard the small plane travelling from Pokhara to Jomson. Among the 22 passengers were four Indians, all from the same family, belonging to Thane, Maharashtra. Top officials in Nepal earlier said inclement weather affecting search and rescue operations at the possible crash site. A plane operated by a private airline in Nepal went missing on Sunday with 22 people on board, according to airline and government sources. 

The Twin Otter 9N-AET plane belonging to Tara Air took off at 10:15 am from Pokhara, and lost contact with the control tower 15 minutes later, according to an airline spokesperson. The missing plane was carrying four Indians, two Germans and 13 Nepalese nationals, with 3 crew members. The remaining passengers were Nepalese citizens and among a total of 22 passengers, including the crew.

The missing plane lost contact with the airport tower shortly after take-off at 9.55 am, a Tara Air official was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post newspaper. "The aircraft was seen over the sky of Jomsom in Mustang district and then had diverted to Mt. Dhaulagiri after which it hadn't come into contact," Chief District Officer Netra Prasad Sharma told ANI

According to an air traffic controller at Jomsom Airport, they have an unconfirmed report about a loud noise reported in the Ghasa region of Jomsom, according to the Post report.

The officer also announced that the search operations for the plane are underway, "We are deploying helicopter to the area for the search operation,” Ram Kumar Dani, DSP of District Police Office, Mustang, told ANI. The last contact was made in Lete Pass region. 

An airline official said the plane was carrying four Indians and two other foreigners, though their nationality was not known. Nepal, home to the world`s highest mountain, does have a record of accidents on its extensive domestic air network, with changeable weather and airstrips in difficult mountain locations.

The airline has issued the list of passengers which identified four Indians Ashok Kumar Tripathi, Dhanush Tripathi, Ritika Tripathi, and Vaibhawi Tripathi. They are all the members of the same family from Mumbai.

Heavy rains have been reported in the region over the past couple of days, but flights have been operating normally. It is a popular route for tourists and Indian and Nepalese pilgrims who visit the revered Muktinath temple, which is situated on the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass in Mustang.

With inputs from agencies