Plane goes missing with 22 people on board in Nepal

Agencies | Kathmandu

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A plane operated by a private airline in Nepal went missing on Sunday with 22 people on board, airline and government officials told Reuters. The small plane was flying from the tourist town of Pokhara to Jomsom in west Nepal, they said.

Tara Air's 9 NAET twin-engine aircraft was flying from Pokhara to Jomsom, before losing contact at 9:55am, airport authorities said. The missing aircraft was carrying four Indian and three Japanese nationals, ANI reported. The rest of the passengers were Nepali citizens.

It has been raining in the area for the past few days but flights have been operating normally. Planes on that route fly between mountains before landing in a valley, AP reported. It is a popular route with foreign hikers who trek on the mountain trails and also with Indian and Nepalese pilgrims who visit the revered Muktinath temple.