Nepal plane crash: Last rites of 22 victims performed in Kathmandu on June 2

The last rites of the 22 people who were killed in a plane crash in Nepal's Mustang district were conducted in the country's capital, Kathmandu, on June 2. The bodies of four Indian citizens, who were among the victims, were cremated in the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.

A twin-engine aircraft belonging to a Nepalese airline, Tara Air, crashed on May 29 with 22 people onboard. The Canadian built plane flying from the city of Pokhara to the popular tourist town, Jomsom, in central Nepal, was carrying four Indian nationals, two Germans and 13 Nepali passengers, besides a three-member Nepali crew, PTI reported.

22 killed in Nepal plane crash

The passenger plane operated by a private airline in Nepal went missing on Sunday, May 29, with 22 people on board, including four Indians. Tara Air 9 NAET twin-engine aircraft, en route to the Jomsom airport lost contact while flying over Pokhara, some 200 km northwest of the capital, Kathmandu. The aircraft, which was on a 17-minute scheduled flight, lost contact shortly after take-off at 9:55 am local time. Later, on Sunday evening, the wreckage of the aircraft was located at Kowang in Nepal's Mustang. 

Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, the Nepalese Avitation Minister said the cloudy weather on the mountainous region of Pokhara made the plane lose contact and subsequent to the crash the high terrain of the Mustang region was coming in the way of the rescue operations. 

"The Tara Air lost contact due to cloudy weather in the higher reaches of Pokhara. Two Army choppers were sent to find traces of the missing plane but returned due to bad weather. The helicopter is now reaching the site of a possible crash, but nothing can be said so far," Prem Bahadur Ale, Minister of Civil Aviation, Nepal said. 

Nepal's mountainous terrain and history of air accidents 

Out of the 14 highest peaks in the world, eight are in Nepal, including Mount Everest, and the country has a record of air accidents. Incidentally, in 2016, an aircraft of Tara Air carrying 23 people on the same route crashed after takeoff, killing all the passengers. In March 2018, a US-Bangla Air crash occurred at the Tribhuvan International Airport, killing 51 people on board. 

Another plane on the same route as the recent incident - Pokhara to Jomsom - crashed on 14 May 2012 killing 15 people. 

(Image: ANI/PTI)