Plane missing in Nepal with 22 onboard

Family members and relatives of passengers on board the Twin Otter aircraft operated by Tara Air, weep outside the airport in Pokhara on May 29, 2022. (Photo by Yunish Gurung / AFP via Getty Images) KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Rescuers zeroed in on a possible location of a passenger plane with 22 people aboard that is feared to have crashed Sunday in cloudy weather in Nepal's mountains, officials said.The Tara Air plane, which was on a 20-minute scheduled flight to the mountain town of Jomsom, took off from the resort town of Pokhara, 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Kathmandu.

The turboprop Twin Otter aircraft lost contact with the airport tower close to landing in an area of deep river gorges and mountaintops.An army helicopter as well as private choppers were taking part in the search, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said in a statement.Army troops and rescue teams were headed to the possible site of the crash, believed to be around Lete, a village in Mustang district, Narayan Silwal, the army spokesman, said on Twitter."Poor visibility due to bad weather is hindering the efforts.

The plane has not yet been located," he said. Rescuers were trying to reach an area where locals allegedly saw a fire, although it is still unclear what was burning, Silwal added.

He said that officials can only verify the information once the troops reached the location.Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesman for Tara Air, said the air search may have to be stopped for the day because of nightfall.