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KATHMANDU. — A Tara Air aircraft that had gone missing has been found crashed in Myagdi district, some 300 km off the capital, with all 23 passengers on board dead. Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, spokesperson of the Home Ministry, told Xinhua, “A team of Nepal police and Nepal Army deployed at the site have claimed that the plane has been completely destroyed with no signs of human life.”

District Police Office Myagdi says the police located the crashed aircraft in a treacherous terrain of forest in Myagdi. A police officer at the site told Xinhua via phone.

“We can find parts of plane and dead bodies in a scattered form. The bodies are not in identifiable position at all.”

The aircraft was carrying 18 passengers including two infants and three crew members. Two foreigners, a Hong Kong resident surnamed Mak and a Kuwaiti national, were among the 23 on board.

Sagar Mani Pathak, Chief District Officer of Myagdi district, said, “The crash site is in a very complex geography due to which it took long hours to find out.”

The flight distance between Pokhara and Jomsom is only 20 minutes. According to an official statement of Tara Air, the weather at both origin and destination airports were favourable and the airport was cleared for the departure by the control tower in Pokhara.

The brand new aircraft, which was added to fleet in September, was flown by senior pilot Roshan Manandhar. Local media reported that the last communication occurred between the pilot and the control tower was “see you back, good day” by the captain.

The plane had been flying to remote hilly and touristic destinations including Lukla, Phaplu, Dolpa and Rara. Jomsom is one of the major tourist destinations in the Himalayan country which is mostly popular for trekking purpose. — Xinhua.