Nepal crash due to weather, the aviation minister says - CNN

Weather blamed in Nepal plane crash; 19 bodies found

By Sugam Pokharel and Katie Hunt, CNN

Updated 0813 GMT (1613 HKT) February 25, 2016

Nepal plane crash: All 23 people on board feared dead 01:32

Story highlights

·         Weather blamed for crash of plane carrying 23 people

·         Strong winds are hampering efforts to retrieve bodies

·         Most of the 19 bodies found are charred beyond recognition, a police official says

·         Another plane flying the same Pokhara-to-Jomsom route crashed in 2012

(CNN)Poor weather is thought to be the likely cause of the crash of a Tara Air plane carrying 23 people in mountainous northern Nepal.

Ananda Pokharel, the country's aviation minister, said Thursday the exact cause of the crash hadn't been determined but wind and dense fog were believed to be responsible.

He said that an investigation team would submit their report within 90 days.

Most of the 19 bodies retrieved as of Thursday were charred beyond recognition, said Bishwa Raj Khadka, deputy police superintendent for Myagdi district.

All of the passengers -- two of them babies -- are believed dead after the plane crashed Wednesday morning midway through what should have been a 19-minute flight, officials said.

Security personnel have constructed a makeshift helipad at the crash site some 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) above sea level to transport the dead bodies to the city of Pokhara.

However due to strong winds, helicopters are not being able to make a landing.

The aircraft was supposed to have flown from Pokhara -- one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal -- to Jomsom, the gateway for one of the most popular Himalayan trekking routes.

The plane was carrying two foreigners, one Chinese and one Kuwaiti.

"We are working to assist the families and friends of the passengers and crew," Tara Air said on its website. "We cannot undo the pain and grief they feel, but we can share their burden of dealing with this tragedy."

Contact lost eight minutes into flight, official says

The Twin Otter plane was supposed to be in the air for only 19 minutes after it took off around 7:50 a.m. Wednesday (9:05 p.m. ET Tuesday), Rai said.

But eight minutes in, contact was lost.

Soon after, Myagdi district residents saw flames shooting up from a forest and called security officials, Nepali Tourism and Aviation Minister Ananda Pokharel said. It didn't take long for arriving authorities to spot the plane's wreckage.

On its website, Tara Air describes itself as "the newest and biggest airline service provider in the Nepalese mountains," with seven aircraft in its fleet.

The airline said its mission is to help develop rural Nepal. The region where the plane crashed is a notoriously windy, cold and, like much of Nepal, mountainous.

In 2012, an Agni Air plane flying the same route from Pokhara to Jomsom crashed, killing 15 people. Six people survived.

A technical problem prevented that plane from landing normally, said Bindesh Lal Karna of the Rescue Coordination Committee at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

The pilot decided to head back to Pokhara, but as he turned around, the plane dropped out of the air.