Flight with 22 people on board missing in Nepal

Bad weather is hampering the search operation by two helicopters with visibility extremely low.

A small plane with 22 people on board flying on a popular tourist route was missing in Nepal’s mountains on Sunday.

The Tara Airlines plane, which was on a 15-minute scheduled flight to the mountain town of Jomsom, took off from Pokhara, 200km (124 miles) east of Kathmandu. It lost contact with the airport tower shortly after takeoff.

Police official Ramesh Thapa said there was no information on the Twin Otter aircraft and a search was underway.

He said there were 19 passengers on board and three crew members.

Phanindra Mani Pokharel, a spokesperson at the home affairs ministry, said two helicopters were deployed for a search operation but added that visibility was low.

“The bad weather is likely to hamper the search operation. The visibility is so poor that nothing can be seen,” Pokharel said.

Jomsom is a popular trekking destination in the Himalayas about 20 minutes by plane from Pokhara.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES