Rescuers pulled out 14 bodies from the crash site of Nepal plane Tara Air and have been scouring the area for the remains of the others, according to rescuers.
Pieces of wreckage of the passenger plane that crashed on Sunday morning were found at 14,500ft in Sano Sware Bhir of Thasang in Mustang district in northwestern Nepal, after nearly 20 hours since the plane went missing, the Nepal Army said on Monday.
The Twin Otter aircraft of Tara Air with 22 people onboard, including three members of the crew, had slammed into a mountain.
On Sunday morning it took off at 9:55am from Pokhara and lost contact with air control about 12 minutes later at 10:07am, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
Nepali Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Narayan Silwal shared the picture of the Tara Air plane wreckage on social media early on Monday morning.
“Search and rescue troops have physically located the plane crash site. Details will be followed,” Silwal tweeted.
Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesperson of Tara Air, told the Post based on rescuers information that bodies of 14 people have been found.
“As the bodies have been scattered over a 100 metre radius from the main impact point, the search and rescue team is collecting them.”
The plane slammed into the mountain breaking into pieces, said Bartaula.
“The impact has blown the bodies all over the hill.”
The photo posted on the social media site shows the tail and one wing of the aircraft remain intact.
The search and rescue team reached the crash site on Monday morning based on the information from yarsa pickers on Sunday.
The helicopter has dropped three rescuers—from Nepal Army, Nepal Police and a high altitude rescue guide—early in the morning. “The remaining team will reach the site soon,” said Bartaula.
As the area can accommodate only one chopper at the crash site, it is shuttling the rescuers, said Bartaula.
Search was suspended on Sunday because of bad weather and failing light.
Source: The Kathmandu Post