By Matthew Hoffman
In Nepal, a plane with two Germans and 20 other people on board has disappeared from radar.
Tara Air announced that contact with the Twin Otter machine with the registration number 9N-AET (built in 1979) broke off shortly after take-off on Sunday morning. The search for the machine, which was en route from Pokhara to the popular mountaineering destination of Jomsom, has been hampered by bad weather.
The plane departed for Jomsom at 9:55 a.m. local time, according to Tara Air. The 19 passengers were two Germans, four Indians and 13 Nepalese. In addition, three crew members were on board.
Tears at Pokhara Airport: People fear for their relatives who are in the missing plane Photo: AFP
Jomsom is a popular mountaineering destination in the Himalayas. The place is only about 20 minutes away from Pokhara by plane. However, the mini airport is one of the most dangerous airports in the world! Reason: The landing site is surrounded by many 8000 meter high mountains. Also, the runway is very short.
There have already been two fatal accidents in the area in the last ten years, killing 38 people. In one of the two accidents, a Twin Otter from Tara Air also crashed.
Very poor visibility
A spokesman for the airline said about the current case: “We are trying to locate the plane.” The Nepalese Ministry of the Interior said that two helicopters had been sent to search for the plane. However, the visibility in the area is very poor. “The bad weather will likely hamper the search operation.”
Aviation in Nepal has been booming for years, but safety standards are low due to insufficient staff training and poor maintenance of the machines. The European Union has therefore banned all Nepalese airlines from its airspace.
In addition, the Himalayan state is home to some of the most remote and difficult airstrips. In addition, the weather in Nepal’s mountains can change quickly and create dangerous flying conditions.
Mountain climbers die every year in the Himalayas (symbol photo)