Nepal plane goes missing in bad weather with 22 on board
(VOVWORLD) - A plane operated by a private airline in Nepal went missing on Sunday with 22 people on board, officials told Reuters, saying cloudy weather was preventing search helicopters from flying into the area of the flight's last known location.
 Handout image shows a Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter, tail number 9N-AET, in Simikot, Nepal December 1, 2021. Picture taken December 1, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS) |
The Tara Air plane took off from the tourist town of Pokhara, some 125 km west of capital Kathmandu, headed towards Jomsom, about 80 km to the northwest, the officials said. Tara Air mainly flies Canadian-built Twin Otter turboprop planes.
The airline said the plane was carrying four Indians, two Germans and 16 Nepalis, including three crew. Seven of the passengers were women, it said.
The plane lost contact with the control tower five minutes before it was due to land at Jomsom, a popular tourist and pilgrimage site, an airline official said on condition of anonymity.
The country's weather office said there had been thick cloud cover in the Pokhara-Jomson area since the morning.
Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Everest, has a record of air accidents. Its weather can change suddenly and airstrips are typically sited in difficult-to-reach mountainous areas.