A Nepal plane crash on Wednesday killed all 23 people aboard a flight from a popular resort town to a jumping off point for many who hike the Himalayas, reported the
BBC News.
The Twin Otter aircraft operated by Tara Air lost contact with the control tower moments after it left Pokhara. Wreckage of the plane was discovered close to Dana, a village in the Myagdi district, said BBC.
The weather at both the origin and destination airports was good, and the plane had been cleared for departure, Tara Air said in a statement reported on by the
Wall Street Journal.
"The wreckage of the plane is scattered around 200 to 300 meters, and we are finding it difficult to search the remaining bodies because it has started snowing," said Lokendra Singh Guru, a police inspector leading the rescue team.
"With deepest regret and extreme shock, Tara Air Pvt. Ltd. management informs the crash of this airlines number TA 193 on aircraft 9N-AHH that took off from Pokhara to Jomsom at 7:50 a.m. local time," said a statement on the
Yeti Airlines Facebook page, the parent company of Tara Air. "We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the deceased."
The statement said the 23 people aboard included two infants and three crew members. Among of them were a Chinese national and a Kuwaiti, said the
Himalayan Times.
Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force, and the Nepal Army joined in the search for the crash site and bodies.
The area around the crash site was "enshrouded in a cloud of dust" the day before because of dry landslides on Mount Annapurna's south base, said the Times.