According to media reports quoting airport officials, a Tara Air’s 9 NAET twin-engine aircraft carrying 22 people – four Indians and three Japanese nationals – lost communication on Sunday morning while flying from Pokhara to Jomsom in Nepal. The jet lost touch around 9:55 a.m., according to the report.
Four Indians and three Japanese nationals are on board the missing plane. According to official media, the remaining passengers are Nepalese citizens.
According to media reports, police spokesman Ramesh Thapa stated there was no information about the Twin Otter aircraft and that a search was underway.
Although it has been raining in the area for several days, planes have continued to operate smoothly.
Foreign hikers who traverse the mountain paths, as well as Indian and Nepalese pilgrims who visit the famed Muktinath shrine, make this a popular route.
For the hunt for missing aircraft, the Nepalese Home Ministry has dispatched two private helicopters from Mustang and Pokhara.
“A Nepali Army Mi-17 helicopter has recently gone for Lete, Mustang, which is the suspected wrecked location of the missing Tara Air aircraft (with 22 passengers,” stated Nepali Army spokesperson Narayan Silwal.
