Missing plane wreckage found in Nepal, 14 bodies recovered

The wreckage of a plane lost in the mountains of Nepal was found scattered on a mountainside on Monday.

Authorities recovered at least 14 bodies.

The army posted an aerial image of the crash site on Twitter.

Deadly plane crash. The remains of a plane lost in the mountains of Nepal were found scattered on a mountainside on Monday, May 30. Fourteen of the 22 people aboard the plane were confirmed dead, the army said.

The rescuers recovered 14 bodies from the crash site, said Teknath Sitaula of the Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu. There was no news about the survivors, and the search at the crash site continues, according to The Associated Press.

Plane crash leaves at least 14 dead

Photo: AP

Aerial photos of the crash site showed aircraft parts strewn on rocks and moss on the side of a mountain gorge. Tara Air’s Twin Otter turboprop lost contact with the airport tower on Sunday while flying through an area of ​​deep river gorges and mountaintops on a 20-minute flight.

The military said the plane crashed in Sanosware in Mustang district, near the mountainous city of Jomsom, where it was headed after taking off from the tourist city of Pokhara, 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Kathmandu. Filed Under: Plane crash in Nepal.

Foreigners were traveling on the aircraft

Photo: AP

According to tracking data from flightradar24.com, the 43-year-old aircraft took off from Pokhara at 9:55 a.m. (04:10 GMT) and transmitted its last signal at 10:07 a.m. (04:22 GMT) to an altitude of 12,825 feet (3,900 meters).

Several foreigners were traveling on the plane, including four Indians and two Germans. The three crew members and the other passengers were of Nepali nationality. The plane’s destination is popular with foreign trekkers who traverse the mountain trails and also with Indian and Nepalese pilgrims who visit the revered Muktinath temple. Filed Under: Plane crash in Nepal.

What kind of plane was it?

Photo: AP

The Twin Otter, a rugged aircraft originally built by Canadian aircraft manufacturer de Havilland, has been in service in Nepal for some 50 years, during which time it has been involved in some 21 accidents, according to Aviationnepal.com.

The aircraft, with its top-mounted wing and fixed landing gear, is prized for its durability and its ability to take off and land on short runways. Production of the planes originally ended in the 1980s. Another Canadian company, Viking Air, put the model back into production in 2010. Filed Under: Plane crash in Nepal.