A plane with 22 passengers on board has disappeared in the Nepalese mountains. The plane has not been found, and rescue efforts have been called off for the day.
The little plane, with 22 passengers, including two German and four Indian citizens, disappeared shortly after takeoff on Sunday morning and had not yet been found by nightfall.
Rescue work was then suspended and resumed on Monday.
The air traffic control tower lost contact with the plane shortly after takeoff from Pokhara, about 200 kilometers west of the capital Kathmandu, just before 10 a.m. local time. It was then en route to the mountain village of Jomsom.
The army stated in the evening, local time, that it believed it had located an approximate location where the plane may have crashed and a search operation with both military and private helicopters was launched. However, the operation was hampered by bad weather and poor visibility conditions.
Nepal's air tourism has expanded significantly in recent years. Flights transport both people and goods. Climbers and trekkers reach places that are difficult to reach on foot. Jomsom is a popular destination for trekkers and is about a 20-minute flight from Pokhara.
At the same time, there are shortcomings in flight safety in the country and several accidents have previously occurred on the same route. Also in 2016, a plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 23 passengers. In 2012, 15 people died in a crash.
Source: TT-DI.SE
