Plane wreckage found in the mountains of Nepal, 14 bodies recovered

KATHMANDU, Nepal (Associated Press) – The wreckage of a plane lost in the mountains of Nepal was found on Monday scattered over a mountainside, and 14 of the 22 people on board were confirmed dead, the Nepali military said.

Teknath Situla of Kathmandu’s Tribhuan International Airport said rescuers had recovered 14 bodies from the crash site. No survivors have been reported, and the search for the crash site is continuing.

Aerial images of the crash site showed parts of the planes scattered on rocks and moss on the side of a mountain gorge.

The Tara Air Turoprop Twin Otter lost contact with the airport tower on Sunday as it flew through an area of ​​deep river valleys and mountaintops on a 20-minute flight.

The military said the plane crashed in Sanusauer in the Mustang district near the mountainous town of Jomsom as it was heading after taking off from Pokhara resort, 200 km west of Kathmandu.

According to tracking data from flightradar24.com, the 43-year-old plane took off from Pokhara at 9:55 AM (04:10 GMT) and sent its last signal at 10:07 AM (04:22 GMT) at altitude. from 12,825 feet (3,900 metres).

And there were four Indians and Germans on board. The three crew members and the other passengers were Nepalese.

The plane destination is popular with foreign trekkers traveling the mountain trails and also with Indian and Nepalese pilgrims visiting the revered Muktinath Temple.

The Twin Otter, a durable aircraft originally built by Canadian aircraft manufacturer De Havilland, has been in service in Nepal for about 50 years, during which it has had about 21 accidents, according to aviationnepal.com.

The aircraft is known for its upper wing and fixed landing gear, for its durability and ability to take off and land on short runways.

Aircraft production originally ended in the 1980s. Another Canadian company, Viking Air, brought the model back into production in 2010.