Nepal finds 21 bodies in Tara Air plane crash

“No one is alive, the plane crashed and broke into pieces. This is very heartbreaking,” The New York Times quoted Narendra Shahi, an international climbing guide who was sent to the scene of the accident to assist in rescue efforts.

Netra Prasad Sharma, the superintendent of the Mustang district where the crash happened, said the bodies of 21 victims had been found and rescue teams were searching for the rest. Rescue work was halted late in the afternoon because of bad weather.

Earlier, rainfall and fog made it difficult for rescuers to reach the scene. Helicopters deployed by the Nepal Army and private companies on May 29 were diverted to the capitals Kathmandu and Pokhara because of low visibility.

After the weather stabilized, rescuers reached the scene. The military, police, mountain guides and locals are involved in the search. Most of them had to walk for kilometers to reach the scene. Meanwhile in the capital, Kathmandu, relatives of the victims are still waiting patiently until all the bodies are brought home.

Tara Air’s DHC-6 Twin Otter, carrying 19 passengers and three crew members, took off on the morning of May 29 from the city of Pokhara, central Nepal, and headed for Jomsom, a popular tourist destination.

The flight was expected to take about 30 minutes, but the plane crashed in bad weather conditions. Officials said the passengers included 13 Nepalese, four Hindu pilgrims from India and two Germans. The plane crashed near Dhaulagiri mountain – the 7th highest mountain in the world with an altitude of about 8,167m.

Nepalese officials said that the cause of the accident was not immediately clear. According to them, the most likely possibility is that the plane crashed into a mountain after losing contact with the air traffic controller while navigating in particularly bad weather.