14 bodies recovered as wreckage of missing Nepal plane found in mountains

14 bodies recovered as wreckage of missing Nepal plane found in mountains
May 30, 2022, 10:06 am

A general view of a Tara Air plane crash site during the rescue operation at Thasang, Nepal May 30, 2022 (REUTERS)

The Arabnews reported, citing the AFP, Nepali rescuers pulled 14 bodies on Monday (May 30) from the mangled wreckage of a passenger plane strewn across a mountainside that went missing in the Himalayas with 22 people on board.

Air traffic control lost contact with the Twin Otter aircraft operated by Nepali carrier Tara Air shortly after taking off from Pokhara in western Nepal on Sunday morning headed for Jomsom, a popular trekking destination.

Helicopters operated by the military and private firms scoured the remote mountainous area all day Sunday, aided by teams on foot, but called off the search when night fell, as bad weather hampered the recovery operation at around 3,800-4,000 meters (12,500-13,000 feet) above sea level.

The wreckage of a Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Nepali carrier Tara Air, on a mountainside in Mustang on May 30, 2022, a day after it crashed. (AFP)

After the search resumed on Monday (May 30), the army shared on social media a photo of aircraft parts and other debris littering a sheer mountainside including a wing with the registration number 9N-AET clearly visible.

Four Indians were on board as well as two Germans, with the remainder Nepalis. There was no word on the cause of the crash.

The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that the plane “met an accident” at 14,500 feet (4,420 meters) in the Sanosware area of Thasang rural municipality in Mustang district.

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Authority spokesman Deo Chandra Lal Karn said: “Fourteen bodies have been recovered so far, search continues for the remaining. The weather is very bad but we were able to take a team to the crash site. No other flight has been possible."

Pokhara Airport spokesman Dev Raj Subedi said the rescuers had followed GPS, mobile and satellite signals to narrow down the location.

Pradeep Gauchan, a local official, said that the wreckage was at a height of around 3,800-4,000 meters (12,500-13,000 feet) above sea level.

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Gauchan said earlier in the day: “It is very difficult to reach there by foot. One team has been dropped close to the area by a helicopter but it is cloudy right now so flights have not been possible. Helicopters are on standby waiting for the clouds to clear."

According to the Aviation Safety Network website, the aircraft was made by Canada’s de Havilland and made its first flight more than 40 years ago in 1979.

Tara Air is a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines, a privately owned domestic carrier that services many remote destinations across Nepal.

Source: arabnews

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