Bodies of 22 passengers in Tara Airplane crash recovered
text_fields
Kathmandu: The bodies of 22 passengers who were in the Tara Airplane that crashed in the Mustang district of Nepal on Sunday morning have been recovered.
The rescuers also said that the black box has been recovered during the rescue efforts.
Out of the 21 bodies that were recovered yesterday, 10 bodies were taken to the base station by the Nepal Army.
The Spokesperson at Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu Teknath Situala who had overseen the rescue and search mission spoke to ANI saying, "Till now we have recovered 21 dead bodies. 10 bodies are carried back to the base station with the help of a Mi-17 helicopter in Khabang".
He further added, "Because of bad weather conditions rescue operation was very difficult, even with 50-60 rescuers has been deployed. Three helicopters are also stationed which have been engaged in retrieving the bodies located by the rescuers from the accident site to the nearby base station".
On Sunday, the domestic aircraft of Tara Air service provider that was traveling from Pokhara to Jomsom crashed at the base of Manapathi peak in Mustang District, which was at an elevation of 14, 500 feet.
According to NDTV, officials have stated that due to a thick fog that has blanketed the Himalayas; the search operation of the missing bodies had been severely hindered, as visibility has been reduced.
"The site of the accident is located at 14,500 feet, making the terrain extremely sloppy. The constant rain and clouds have created difficulties for the rescuers. Despite that, they are doing their very best to retrieve the dead bodies and ferry them to the base station and back to Kathmandu," an airport official added.
The twin-otter aircraft took off on Sunday at 9.55 am (NST) from Pokhara to Jomsom. Shortly after take-off, the aircraft lost contact, and was found at Sansure Cliff of Thasang Rural Municipality-2 in Mustang on Monday morning.
A total of 22 passengers, including four Indians, two Germans, and three crew members, were on board the plane.