Efforts underway to locate and recover remaining bodies
KATHMANDU, May 30
The rescue team deployed at the wreckage site of Tara Air plane crash have recovered bodies of 14 passengers.
The bodies were recovered from Sansure, Thasang rural municipality-2 of Mustang district where the aircraft crashed on Sunday.
The plane wreckage is located at the foot of Manapathi Mountain, around four-hour walk from Kowang of Thasang Rural Municipality.
Read More: Tara Air plane crashed at Sanosware, Thasang-2 in Mustang
According to the District Administration Office in Mustang, security personnel and locals who reached the crash site to search and rescue the passengers have recovered 14 bodies till the time this report was filed.
The office further said that the identity of the 14 passengers is being established.
Unfortunately, the chances of locating any survivor is highly unlikely, sources said.
A team comparising security personnel and Sherpas reached the crash site via helicopter and are being aided by locals who first spotted the wreckage site, and eventually the bodies. The team is now searching for the remaining passengers.
The crash site is apparently at an altitude of more than 4,000 metres from the mean sea level.
The bodies are being brought by the rescue helicopter but it has been difficult due to the fog cover at the crash site, the DAO said. The team will transport the bodies first to Kobang after preliminary identification, it has been learnt.
Nepal Army, Fishtail Air and Kailash Air helicopters have been mobilised since Sunday
Locals including Yarchagumba hunters had reported hearing a loud bang on Sunday, after which security personnel were deployed to the zeroed-in area.
The aircraft ferrying 22 people including three crew members took off at 9:55 am from Pokhara and lost contact with the air control in Jomsom at 10:07 am.
Locals had reported seeing the aircraft fly low for a while, as the weather was bad in the area, and later make a turn through the Dhaulagiri and Manapathi Mountains towards Pokhara instead of flying to Jomsom.
