On a mountainside in Nepal's Mustang district, where the Himalayas press close and the air thins with altitude, a small Twin Otter carrying twenty-two people lost its voice to the world on a Sunday morning and was found only after a long, weather-bound night. Among the dead were families and travelers from far away, people who had come to see the high valleys and the town of Jomsom, a place that has long drawn visitors seeking the edge of the mountains. Nepal has learned, through many such losses, how fragile the flights that thread its peaks can be, and this crash joins an old and sorrowful r
16 Bodies Recovered From Tara Air Crash Site in Nepal's Mustang District
At least 16 of 22 people aboard were recovered dead, including four Indian nationals and two Germans, and the bodies await identification.
The search was suspended because of bad weather and failing light.
Mark
Why does this crash draw so much attention beyond the toll itself?
Mimi
Partly the route. A Tara Air flight on the same Pokhara-Jomsom run crashed in 2016 and killed all 23 aboard, and another flight on that route went down in 2012 with 15 dead.
Luke
Careful, though. The reporting lists past crashes as context. It doesn't say they share a cause with this one, and no cause has been given.
Mark
What do we actually know about how the plane came down?
Mimi
It left Pokhara at 9:55 am and lost contact at 10:07. Rescuers found it at 14,500 feet at Thasang-2 in Mustang.
Luke
And the cliff idea comes from Inda Singh, a man clearing a road, who said it could have hit one. That's an eyewitness guess, not an official finding.
Mark
The accounts of the scene differ a bit, don't they?
Mimi
Singh said the bodies were intact and the faces recognisable. The airline's spokesperson said the impact scattered bodies over 100 metres.
Luke
Right, and both are attributed. Also, 16 bodies are confirmed recovered out of 22 aboard. Singh said all were dead, but the authority's statement covers only the 16, and none are identified yet.
Mark
What slowed the response?
Mimi
Weather and failing light stopped Sunday's search, and the site fits only one helicopter, so rescuers were ferried in a few at a time.
O Pulso
- A Tara Air Twin Otter vanished from radar twelve minutes after leaving Pokhara, and the silence stretched through a night of failing light and bad weather.
- Rescuers struggled to reach a crash site at 14,500 feet where only one helicopter could land at a time, forcing slow shuttles of teams in and out.
- Bodies lay scattered across a 100-metre radius, some in a nearby ditch, and recovery has to proceed carefully across unforgiving terrain.
- At least 16 of 22 dead have been brought out, none yet identified, and families including Indian and German nationals are waiting for names.
- The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal must establish why the aircraft struck the mountain, while identification of victims continues.
On a mountainside in Nepal's Mustang district, where the Himalayas press close and the air thins with altitude, a small Twin Otter carrying twenty-two people lost its voice to the world on a Sunday morning and was found only after a long, weather-bound night. Among the dead were families and travelers from far away, people who had come to see the high valleys and the town of Jomsom, a place that has long drawn visitors seeking the edge of the mountains. Nepal has learned, through many such losses, how fragile the flights that thread its peaks can be, and this crash joins an old and sorrowful record. The cause remains unknown, and for now the work is one of recovery and of naming the dead so that their families can begin to grieve.
By Monday morning, rescuers had finally reached the wreckage of a Tara Air plane on a mountainside in Nepal's Mustang district and begun bringing out the dead. At least sixteen bodies had been recovered, and none had yet been identified. The aircraft had disappeared on Sunday with twenty-two people aboard.
The plane was a Canadian-built Twin Otter bound from the tourist city of Pokhara to Jomsom. It lost contact with air traffic control about twelve minutes after takeoff. Among those on board were four Indian nationals, two Germans, thirteen Nepali passengers and a three-member crew. The Indian passengers were members of one family from Thane, near Mumbai, whose names were listed by the airline.
Search efforts on Sunday were halted by weather and fading light. Wreckage was finally located after nearly twenty hours, and a helicopter confirmed the site at 14,500 feet. Because the mountain clearing could take only one helicopter at a time, rescuers were ferried in piece by piece. A local man who had come upon the scene described the victims as intact and recognisable, with no fire, and said many lay in a ditch that made collection difficult.
An airline spokesperson described a violent impact, with the aircraft breaking apart and bodies scattered across the slope. Nepal has a long history of deadly flights, and this crash now stands among them. For the moment, the work is identifying the victims and waiting for answers about what brought the plane down.
By Monday morning, rescuers had reached the wreckage of a Tara Air plane on a mountainside in Nepal's Mustang district and begun recovering the dead. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said at least 16 bodies had been brought out, none yet identified. The aircraft had gone missing on Sunday with 22 people aboard.
The plane was a Canadian-built Twin Otter turboprop, registration 9N-AET, flying from the tourist city of Pokhara to Jomsom, a popular tourist town in central Nepal. According to the aviation authority, it took off at 9:55 am and lost contact with air traffic control at 10:07, about twelve minutes later. On board were four Indian nationals, two Germans, 13 Nepali passengers and a three-member Nepali crew.
The airline's passenger list named the four Indians as Ashok Kumar Tripathy, his wife Vaibhavi Bandekar (Tripathy), and their children Dhanush and Ritika. The family was based in Thane, a city near Mumbai.
The search on Sunday was suspended because of bad weather and failing light. Pieces of wreckage were found after nearly 20 hours, the Nepal Army said. Spokesperson Brigadier General Narayan Silwal posted that search troops had physically located the site, giving it as Sanosware, Thasang-2, Mustang, and attached a picture that appeared to show the wreckage. The aviation authority put the crash at 14,500 feet. A Fishtail Air helicopter, the 9N-AJR, was first to land there and confirmed the site at 8:10 am. Rescuers from the Nepal Army, Air Dynasty, Kailash Helicopter and Fishtail Air were deployed.
Getting people in was difficult. The helicopter dropped three rescuers early that morning: one each from the Nepal Army and Nepal Police, plus a high-altitude rescue guide. Tara Air spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula said the area can fit only one helicopter at a time, so it was shuttling rescuers in. Silwal said other team members were trying to reach the site in small helicopters and that every possible means was being considered.
Inda Singh, who had been heading out to clear a blocked road, came upon the crash. MyRepublica quoted him saying all passengers were dead, the bodies were intact and the victims' faces recognisable. He said there was no fire, and that the aircraft may have struck a nearby cliff. He added that collecting the bodies was complicated because they lay in a nearby ditch.
Bartaula described a more violent impact. He said the plane slammed into the mountain and broke apart, scattering bodies across a 100-metre radius from the main point of impact, which the rescuers were now collecting. A photo posted on social media showed the tail and one wing still intact.
Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Everest, has a long record of air accidents. In 2016, all 23 people aboard a Tara Air plane flying the same route were killed after takeoff. A Pokhara-to-Jomsom flight crashed near Jomsom airport on May 14, 2012, killing 15. A Sita Air flight crashed in September 2012 during an emergency landing at Tribhuvan International Airport, killing 19, and a US-Bangla crash at the same airport in March 2018 killed 51. Tara Air describes itself as the newest and biggest airline serving Nepal's mountains, operating since 2009 with a mission of helping develop rural Nepal.
What to watch next is the identification of the victims, which the aviation authority said was still pending, and the cause of the crash, which has not been established.
Citações Notáveis
The bodies of 16 people have been recovered and are yet to be identified.— Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal
The impact has blown the bodies all over the hill.— Sudarshan Bartaula, Tara Air spokesperson
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