New Delhi: According to media reports citing airline officials, a small passenger plane operated by a private airline in Nepal went missing on Sunday with 22 people on board, including four Indians.
According to preliminary reports, the Tara Air 9 NAET twin-engine aircraft was travelling from Pokhara, a tourist destination 200 kilometres northwest of Kathmandu, to Jomsom, 80 kilometres northwest. At 9:55 a.m. local time, the aircraft was reported to have lost contact.
“The aircraft was seen over the sky of Jomsom in Mustang district and then had diverted to Mt. Dhaulagiri after which it hadn’t come into contact,” Chief District Officer Netra Prasad Sharma was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The plane was carrying four Indians and three Japanese nationals. According to State Television, the remaining passengers were Nepalese citizens, and the plane had 22 passengers, including the crew.
With fluctuating weather and airstrips in hazardous highland settings, Nepal, home to the world’s highest peak, has a history of mishaps on its huge domestic air network.
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