POKHARA, Nepal, May 31, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Nepali rescuers have retrieved all 
22 bodies from a plane that crashed in the Himalayas, authorities said 
Tuesday.

Air traffic control lost contact with the Twin Otter shortly after it took 
off from Pokhara in western Nepal on Sunday morning and headed for Jomsom, a 
popular trekking destination.

Its wreckage was found a day later, strewn across a mountainside at an 
altitude of around 14,500 feet (4,400 metres).

"All 22 bodies have been carried to Kathmandu by Nepal Army's (Mi-17) 
helicopter," Tribhuvan International Airport spokesman Teknath Sitoula told 
AFP.

"After postmortem, they will hand over the dead bodies to their family 
members."

About 60 people were involved in the search mission, including the army, 
police, mountain guides and locals, most of whom trekked uphill for miles to 
get there.

Many spent the night camped at the high-altitude site.

The chief of Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority, Pradeep Adhikari, said the 
government had formed a committee to investigate the accident. 

"Our pilots fly in very challenging terrains and in unpredictable weather. We 
are looking into what can be done to minimise such accidents, especially in 
monsoon and pre-monsoon periods," Adhikari said.

The cause of the crash is yet to be confirmed, but Pokhara Airport spokesman 
Dev Raj Subedi said on Monday that the aircraft, operated by Nepali carrier 
Tara Air, did not catch fire in the air.

The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have also been 
recovered from the crash site, Sitoula said Tuesday.

There were 16 Nepalis, four Indians and two Germans on the twin-prop 
aircraft.

The Germans, in their 50s, were heading for a two-week trek in the remote 
Upper Mustang area with their Nepali guide.

- Poor safety record -

According to the Aviation Safety Network website, the aircraft was made by 
Canada's de Havilland and first flew more than 40 years ago.

Its operator Tara Air is a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines, a privately owned 
domestic carrier that services many remote destinations across Nepal. 

It suffered its last fatal accident in 2016 on the same route when a plane 
with 23 on board crashed into a mountainside.

An investigation concluded that the crew repeatedly entered clouds and 
descended despite unfavourable weather conditions and warnings, and also 
deviated from their route.

Nepal's air industry has boomed in recent years, carrying goods and people 
between hard-to-reach areas as well as foreign trekkers and climbers. 

But it has been plagued by poor safety due to insufficient training and 
maintenance.

The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over 
safety concerns.

The Himalayan country also has some of the world's most remote and tricky 
runways, flanked by snow-capped peaks with approaches that pose a challenge 
even for accomplished pilots.

The weather can also change quickly in the mountains, creating treacherous 
flying conditions.

In March 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines plane crash-landed near Kathmandu's 
notoriously difficult international airport, killing 51 people and seriously 
injuring 20.

That accident was Nepal's deadliest since 1992, when all 167 people aboard a 
Pakistan International Airlines plane died when it crashed on approach to 
Kathmandu.

Just two months earlier, a Thai Airways aircraft had crashed near the same 
airport, killing 113 people.