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On May 29th, a Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft carrying 19 passengers and 3 crew members took off from Pokhara, central Nepal, heading to Jomsom, a popular tourist destination.
The flight was scheduled to last about 30 minutes, but the plane encountered problems in bad weather. Officials said the passengers included 13 Nepalese, 4 Hindu pilgrims from India, and 2 Germans. The plane crashed near Mount Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh highest mountain at approximately 8,167 meters.
The plane crashed near the Himalayan mountain range.
Nepalese officials said the cause of the accident was not immediately clear. They believed the most likely scenario was that the plane crashed into a mountain after losing contact with air traffic control while navigating in particularly bad weather conditions.
After a day of searching, Nepalese officials announced they have found 21 of the 22 victims from the DHC-6 Twin Otter plane that crashed into a mountainside in the Himalayas.
“There are no survivors; the plane crashed and broke into many pieces. This is incredibly heartbreaking,” said Narendra Shahi, an international mountain guide who was sent to the crash site to assist with rescue efforts.
The Nepalese army has deployed search and rescue operations.
Writing on Twitter, Nepalese army spokesman Narayan Silwal said: "Search and rescue forces have pinpointed the actual crash site," and posted images of the scene showing parts of the plane scattered on the edge of a mountain. The aircraft's registration number 9N-AET is clearly visible in the photo.
Netra Prasad Sharma, chief administrator of Mustang County, where the accident occurred, said the bodies of 21 victims have been found and rescue teams are searching for the remaining bodies. Rescue operations were temporarily suspended late in the afternoon due to bad weather.
Earlier, heavy rain and fog had hampered rescue efforts in reaching the scene. Helicopters deployed by the Nepalese Army and private companies on May 29 were diverted to the capital Kathmandu and Pokhara due to low visibility.
Twenty-one bodies have been found in the area so far.
Nepal, a country with much of its territory nestled in the Himalayas, has experienced numerous aircraft accidents due to its frequently unpredictable weather and many runways located in difficult-to-access areas.
The most serious recent aviation accident in Nepal occurred in March 2018, when a Bombardier Q400 of US-Bangla Airlines crashed while landing at Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu, killing 51 people and injuring 20.
