Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - The Nepalese army announced on Monday that it had found the crash site of a jet that went missing with 22...
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| Image: Reuters |
"Search and rescue soldiers have physically discovered the jet crash site," army spokesman Narayan Silwal said on Twitter, showing a photo of the wreckage with the plane's tail number clearly visible and components of the plane strewn across a mountainside.
According to the airline and government officials, four Indians, two Germans, and 16 Nepalis were on board the jet, a De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter operated by privately owned Tara Air.
Before losing contact with the control tower, the plane was on a 20-minute trip.
It had taken off from Pokhara, a renowned tourist and pilgrimage destination 125 kilometers (80 miles) west of Kathmandu, and was headed for Jomsom, roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Pokhara.
The aircraft, with the registration number 9N-AET, took its first flight in April 1979, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
Five helicopters were ready to assist with the rescue, according to Deo Chandra Lal Karna, a spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
Nepal has a history of aviation accidents, as it is home to eight of the world's fourteen highest mountains, including Everest. Its weather can vary quickly, and airstrips are often placed in difficult-to-reach hilly terrain.
A US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu crashed and caught fire in early 2018, killing 51 of the 71 passengers on board.
