At least 14 dead in Nepal plane crash, rescue operations continue

KATHMANDU: Rescue workers in Nepal on Monday (May 30) recovered 14 bodies as they scoured a remote Himalayan mountainside scattered with the wreckage of a small plane that crashed with 22 aboard, with officials saying the chance of finding survivors was slim.

Operated by privately owned Tara Air, the aircraft went down during cloudy weather on Sunday and was spotted by Nepal's army earlier on Monday after search operations that were halted overnight were resumed.

"There is very little chance to find survivors," said Deo Chandra Lal Karna, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

Tek Raj Sitaula, a spokesman for the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, said bodies of 14 people had been found so far by rescue teams.

"The search for others is continuing," Sitaula told Reuters.

Nepal's army earlier on Monday said it had located the crash site of the plane.

"A search team has located the wreckage of the plane and shared a picture. Additional teams are heading there so we can get details," said Nepal Army spokesman Narayan Silwal.

An image he shared on Twitter showed debris from the wreckage of the flight strewn across a mountainside. Its registration number 9N-AET was clearly visible on what appeared to be a piece of a wing.

The search operation had only resumed earlier in the day after rescuers paused after dark on Sunday.

Four Indians, two Germans and 16 Nepalis were on board the plane, a De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter operated by privately owned Tara Air, according to the airline and government officials.

Before the wreckage was found, Pokhara Airport spokesman Dev Raj Subedi told AFP early Monday morning that rescue helicopters and army troops on the ground had shifted their search to a suspected crash site.

"The search operation has resumed ... There has not been any significant improvement in the weather. Two helicopters have flown toward the area but they have not been able to land yet," he said.

Subedi said that they had followed GPS, mobile and satellite signals to the location.

The aircraft was on a 20-minute flight before losing contact with the control tower.

The De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter aircraft took off from the tourist town of Pokhara, 125 km west of Kathmandu, on Sunday morning.

The destination was Jomsom, a popular tourist and pilgrimage site that lies about 80km northwest of Pokhara.

The crash site is in the region where Mount Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh highest peak at 8,167m is located, in proximity to Nepal's borders with China.

Soldiers from Nepal's army and other rescue workers were operating in difficult mountainous terrain at an altitude of around 14,500 feet with a heavy cloud cover, officials said.

Netra Prasad Sharma, the most senior bureaucrat in the Mustang district, where the crash took place, said weather conditions remained challenging.

"There is very thick cloud in the area," he told Reuters by phone. "The search for bodies is going on."

Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said the aircraft, with registration number 9N-AET, made its first flight in April 1979.

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

It suffered its last fatal accident in 2016 on the same route when a plane with 23 on board crashed into a mountainside in Myagdi district.

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 located in mountainous areas that are hard to reach.

In early 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu crashed on landing and caught fire, killing 51 of the 71 people on board.