MYAGDI: Even though 21 bodies were found in a plane crash in Mustang, one person is still missing. The crashed Tara Air’s twin-otter aircraft had 22 passengers including three crew members on board.
Tara Air said in a statement on Monday that 21 bodies had been found but one was still missing. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic news that the bodies of 21 of the 22 passengers and crew members have been found so far,” the statement said.
The bodies of 10 passengers who lost their lives in the Tara Air plane crash have been flown to Kathmandu. One of the 22 passengers has not been found yet. According to the Mustang District Administration, a body spotted in the gorge could not be retrieved. The other 10 bodies recovered were kept at the site on Monday due to inclement weather.
Tara Air’s twin-otter aircraft, which took off from Pokhara for Jomsom in Mustang at 9:55 am on Sunday, lost contact shortly after takeoff. The plane, which had been searched all day on Sunday, was found at Sansure Cliff of Thasang Rural Municipality-2 in Mustang on Monday morning.
The search and rescue team was able to collect the bodies of the passengers and the bodies scattered at the accident site by 3 pm on Monday.
Although the body was collected, the identity of the passenger could not be ascertained. It takes 4 hours on foot to reach Kowang settlement from the incident site. More than 60 security personnel from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police were deployed in the search and rescue operation.
The accident site is the site of the avalanche that fell from Manapathi peak on November 14, 2021. ‘Looking at the nature of the incident, it is seen that the wing of the plane crashed into the hill and fell down crashed into a ravine, ”Indrasing Sherchan, a local who arrived at the scene, said.
According to Mustang Police Chief DSP Ram Kumar Dani, Bishal Gharti of Baglung, who had gone to pick up Yarchagumba at around 7 am on Monday, saw the spot and informed the police. The site is approximately 4,200 meters above sea level.
Meanwhile, Tribhuvan International Airport said in a press conference on Monday that the search for the missing body would be carried out and the remaining bodies would be brought on Tuesday if the weather permits.
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