Small plane carrying 22 people missing in Nepal

KATMANDU, Nepal – A small passenger plane with 22 people on board went missing Wednesday while flying over a mountainous region of Nepal, an official said.

Dinesh Shrestha, manager at Katmandu's Tribhuwan International Airport, said the plane had been out of radiocontact for more than two hours after taking off from a small airstrip in eastern Nepal.

The Canadian-built Twin Otter aircraft belonging to domestic Tara Air was carrying 19 passengers and three crew members from Lamidanda to Katmandu, he said.

At least one was believed to be a foreign national but the identity and nationality was not known. The remaining 18 passengers were all Nepali citizens who were returning from a pilgrimage to a Hindu temple, Shrestha said.

He said two search helicopters had been sent to the area where the plane last made radio contact.

The route from Lamidanda, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the east of Katmandu, is over mountainous terrain that would make a search difficult. The flight normally takes about 32 minutes.