KATHMANDU: A Tara Twin-Otter plane with 23 people, including three crew members and two children, on board, reportedly crashed in Myagdi district in western Nepal on Wednesday morning.

SSP Mahendra Pokharel of Pokhara-based Gandaki Zonal Police Office said that the suspected crash site lies in Rupse Chhahari of Dana VDC in Myagdi district.

The small aircraft (Twin-Otter 400-series with call sign 9N-AHH) had taken off from Pokhara for Jomsom at 7:50 am. But it went out of contact with the air traffic control towers after some minutes.

Security personnel from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army are heading towards the incident site, SSP Pokharel informed.

It is not clear what caused the crash. But Dana VDC and adjoining areas were enshrouded in cloud of dust on Tuesday following dry landslides in Mt Annapurna South base .since Monday night.

"It is also known that weather at both origin and destination airports was favourable and the airport was cleared for departure by the control tower at Pokhara," Tara Air said in a statement.

According to Tara Air, three helicopters have been dispatched on a search and rescue mission.

The list of passengers showed that there were two foreigners, one each from Kuwait and and Chinese, on board the aircraft. There were two children also, whose names were not included in the list.

(Updated)

Tara Twin Otter plane with 23 people on board missing

KATHMANDU: A Tara Twin Otter plane bound for Jomsom from Pokhara of Western Nepal lost contact with air traffic control on Wednesday, leaving the fate of 23 people including three crew members and two children on board unknown.

The aircraft with a call sign 9N-AHH, piloted by Roshan Manandhar, had taken off from the Pokhara Airport at 7:50 am today.

The aircraft was in contact till 8:15 am, according to an official of the Pokhara Airport.

According to the Tara Air Pvt. Ltd, three helicopters were dispatched on a search and rescue operation.

The search operation has been focused in Myagdi district,  Western Regional Administrator Shankar Koirala informed.