Aircraft goes missing in Nepal, 4 Indians among 22 onboard

Nepal (29/05/2022): A twin-engine aircraft carrying 22 people including 3 crew members went missing in the mountainous district of Mustang on Sunday morning, officials confirmed.

The aircraft bearing call-sign 9 NAET had flown from Pokhara to Jomsom at 9:55 AM and went out of contact after reaching the Lete area of Mustang.

Tara Air’s 9 NAET twin-engine aircraft carrying 19 passengers, flying from Pokhara to Jomsom at 9:55am, has lost contact, said the Airport authorities.

As per the State TV, the missing aircraft was hosting 4 Indians among others. “The aircraft was seen over the sky of Jomsom in Mustang and then had diverted to Mt. Dhaulagiri after which it hadn’t come into contact,” Chief District Officer Netra Prasad Sharma informed media.

According to the police officials, the aircraft has been suspected to have crashed in the “Titi” area of Lete in Mustang District. “Locals from Titi have called and informed us that they have heard an unusual sound as if there was some bang. We are deploying a helicopter to the area for the search operation,” said Ram Kumar Dani, DSP of District Police Office, Mustang.