Nepali Army locates crashed plane, Search for survivors on
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The wreckage of the Tara Air flight that went missing on Sunday morning was found at Kowang of Mustang Valley by the Nepali Army. Tara Airlines Spokesperson Brigadier General Narayan Silwal confirmed on Monday that the Army physically located the crash site. The turboprop Twin Otter 9N-AET plane had taken off from the tourist town Pokhara.
The search and rescue operations are ongoing. The search had to be put on hold at night due to snowfall. Some of the bodies found at the crash site are beyond recognition. "Police are gathering the remains," said Nepal Police inspector Raj Kumar Tamang.
The flight had 22 passengers including four Indians - Ashok Kumar Tripathi (54), Vaibhawi Tripathi (51), Dhanyasya Tripathi (22), and Ritika Tripathi (18) - from a family from Thane, Maharashtra. Two Germans and 13 Nepalese nationals, with 3 crew members were also on the plane.
The flight lost contact with the airport tower shortly after taking off at 9.55 am. Chief District officer Netra Prasad Sharma told ANI that the plane was seen over the sky of Jomsom in Mustang. It then turned to Mt. Dhaulgiri and lost contact. Ram Kumar Dani, DSP of District Police Office, Mustang said a helicopter has been deployed to search the area.
The Nepal Home Ministry has deployed two private helicopters. A group of locals are also on-foot searching the region with security forces, reported The Himalayan Times.
Nepal has a record for air accidents with high mountain locations and changeable weather. The route is popular among Indian and Nepalese pilgrims who visit Muktinath temple at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass in Mustang. The region had heavy rains for the past two days but flights have been operating normally.
