KATHMANDU, May 29 (Reuters) – A plane operated by a private Nepalese airline went missing on Sunday with 22 people on board, officials said Reuters, adding that cloudy weather was preventing helicopters from flying over the area believed to be missing.
The Tara Air plane took off from the tourist town of Pokhara, about 125 km west of the capital Kathmandu, heading for Jomsom, 80 km to the northwest.
Tara Air mainly operates Canadian-made Twin Otter turboprop aircraft.
“A search helicopter returned to Jomsom due to bad weather, without locating the aircraft,” the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority wrote in a statement.
“Helicopters will be ready to take off for the search from Kathmandu, Pokhara and Jomsom once the weather conditions improve. Military and police search teams are on their way to the site.”
According to the airline, the plane was carrying four Indians, two Germans and 16 Nepalese, including three crew members. Seven passengers are women, she said.
The plane lost contact with the control tower five minutes before landing at the airport in the tourist town of Jomsom, an airline official said on condition of anonymity.
Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest, has a record number of air crashes. The weather conditions are changeable and the airstrips are generally located in mountainous areas that are difficult to access. (Report Gopal Sharma; French version Elizabeth Pineau)