23 confirmed dead in Myagdi plane crash

KATHMANDU: All 23 people, including three crew members and two infants, who were on board the ill-fated Tara Twin-Otter plane, were killed in the crash at a remote location in Myagdi district of western Nepal on Wednesday, Shankar Koirala, Western Regional Administrator quoting the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said.

Referring to the Tribhuvan International Airport's Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC), Tara Air said its missing aircraft 9N-AHH, which took off from Pokahra on its scheduled flight number TA 193 to Jomsom at 7:50 am, was found crashed at Tirkhe Dhunga, Dana VDC of Myagdi district at 1:25 pm.

Two of the fatalities are foreign nationals -- one Chinese woman and one Kuwaiti man.

The small aircraft (Twin-Otter 400-series) went out of contact with the air traffic control towers after some minutes of its takeoff.

DSP Bishwaraj Khadka of the District Police Office, Myagdi informed that a police team deployed from the Dana Police Post and led by Constable Phul Kumar Thapa and local leader Naveen Khadka spotted the aircraft in a crashed state after five hours.

It has been learned that the wreckage of the plane is still burning and all the bodies were charred.

A team comprising DSP Khadka and Chief District Officer (CDO) of Myagdi, Sagarmani Pathak among others has left for the plane crash site for rescue.

The crash site is four-hour walk from Rupse of Dana VDC.

The aircraft was a factory new DHC 6-400 with less than total flying time of 300 hours, according to Tara Air.

Fatalities:

Passengers

Mr Ralrashed Ahamad Aa (Kuwait)

Miss Mak Siu Ying (Chinese)

Mr Rebati Baral (Nepal)

Mr Muktinath Bastola (Nepal)

Mr Krishna Lal Bhattachan (Nepal)

Mr Devi Jung Gurung (Nepal)

Mr Fhenjock Gurung (Nepal)

Miss Laxmi Hirachan (Nepal)

Infant I (boy) (Nepal)

Mr Moti Bahadur KC (Nepal)

Mr Bal Krishna Niure (Nepal)

Mr Kanchha Pariyar (Nepal)

Mr Raj Kumar Tamang (Nepal)

Infant II (girl) (Nepal)

Miss Binita Bhattachan (Nepal)

Miss Dil Kumari Gauchan (Nepal)

Miss Pabitra KC (Nepal)

Mrs Lepsang Lama (Nepal)

Mrs Dolma Tshiring Sherpa (Nepal)

Miss Kamala Thakali (Nepal)

Crew members

Pilot Roshan Manandhar

Co-piolot Dikesh Nemkul (Nepal)

Air Hostess Roma Raut (Nepal)

(With inputs from our correspondent Rup Narayan Dhakal in Pokhara)