Nepal finds wreckage of missing plane

KATHMANDU — The wreckage of a passenger plane that went missing in Nepal on Wednesday with 23 people on board has been found, the aviation minister said. "The wreckage of the plane was found in a completely burnt state in Solighopte in Myagdi district," Aananda Prasad Pokharel told AFP, adding that bodies could be seen scattered around the wreckage. The airline revised its earlier number of 21 on board the Twin Otter plane. A small plane with 23 people including two foreigners on board and flying in poor visibility over mountainous terrain in Nepal on Wednesday was missing and officials feared it had crashed. Airport official Yogendra Kuwar said the plane was on an 18-minute flight Wednesday, but lost contact after takeoff. He said there were no landing strips between the two airports the plane was flying between and it is believed to have crashed. Helicopters were searching the route more than two hours after the plane was to have landed, but poor weather conditions were making that difficult, he said. The foreigners were from China and Kuwait while the remaining were all Nepali nationals, including two children. The plane had taken off from Pokhara, a resort town 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Kathmandu, and was heading north to Jomsom, the starting point for trekkers going into mountainous areas. The police chief at Jomsom, Harihari Yogi, said they had reports from local villagers of hearing a loud explosion near the small village of Rupshe and attempts were being made to reach there. The Twin Otter aircraft was operated by domestic Tara airlines. Only small planes can fly the route, which goes between mountains. Jomson is popular for both foreign tourists visiting the Mount Annapurna and Mustang region for trekking, and for Hindu pilgrims visiting the Muktinath temple.